


Max and Chloe's Hella Shitty Coffee (Life is Strange)

by Ellie200m



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2020-03-17 11:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 32,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18964732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie200m/pseuds/Ellie200m
Summary: Set five years after moving to Seattle, Max makes another fresh start at UCLA. Max's initial experiences are disappointing and almost send her straight back to Seattle. But after running into the best friend she left behind, and the new friends she's not sure she could live without, she starts to wonder if there's more to college life than social pressure and hangovers…College AU. A Pricefield sundae with Chasefield sprinkles.





	1. Chapter 1

****

 

_Freshers week, an introverts hell._

A rainbow horde of excitable teens flowed into the uni bar and a stream of the sick and the drunk trickled out. A deep and bassy heartbeat came throbbing from the open windows, and all around the courtyard people sat in loose groups of jocks and preps and goths and every other stereotype.

"Which is really weird, because when you view Dali's work less as a surrealist and more as a dadaist expression of-" A heavy green bottle crashed down close enough that the shards almost hit her shoe. The skinny boy jumped up onto the bench with a squeal, sandals slipping on the varnished wood as he tumbled back down onto the paving in a dayglow heap. The tall security guard called him a brat and Max wondered if her cat missed her yet.

The skinny boy had been following her around all evening. She'd met him yesterday outside of the campus coffee shop, all beady eyes and pointy nose and ears that made it look like he could probably fly if he waves them fast enough. He asked her what she was drinking, and before she could manage a fourth syllable he was explaining why his home ground Colombian blend in a Rick and Morty thermos was far superior. She thanked him for the recommendation and made a note to never talk to anyone ever ever ever again.

She found him earlier that afternoon leaning with his butt against the door handle to the Arts building. He greeted her by her name, which she had never told him, and stepped aside to let her out first. The door handle was still warm when she touched it, and she resolved to cleanse herself with bleach and turpentine when she got back to her dorm.

The skinny boy sat back on the bench, and Max decided that she wanted to go to bed. Excusing herself, she took off towards the library, winding through the loud and the lecherous and the loose. The route back to her dorm was roughly southeast, and she knew that the library's bright red front doors faced north, so she aimed herself for the narrow alley between the library and the Mean Bean next to it. Another bottle, this time clear and small, smashed to her left as she pushed past a vending machine.

"Fuck yeah! Burn it baby!" Up ahead a pair of girls in matching blue uniforms were waving lighters in the air. They were both tall, taller than Max anyway. The one closer was blonde and skinny and pretty, the one further away was more athletic. Her arms were toned, her body slip but shoulders broader than they looked, legs padded with the kind of muscle that looked like it could kick holes through walls. Her hair was blue, bright and vibrant. A beanie sat on top, otherwise she was in the usual Mean Bean blue and green. Between them laid a mound of blue polo shirts, drenched in what smelled like a gallon of butane. The lighters fell together, and the pile of work clothes lit up like a bonfire. "Wooooooo!" screamed the blonde, and "Burn baby!" screamed the blue, dancing around the fire. Max tried to slink by when the nasally voice came from behind her.

"Maxine! Maxine wait! Are we going back to your dorm?" Skinny boy was running up behind her, knees scraped and glasses eschew, his sandals slapping against the concrete as he got close. The blonde girl barely noticed, but the blue took a second look at the skinny boy, then at Max.

"Wait, Maxine?" Their eyes met for a second, the blue haired girls locking into hers as wonder then realisation then crushing self awareness locked in to Max's brain.  _Oh dang. Oh dang. Oh-_

"Maxine!" Her wrist was pulled back sharply, and the skinny boy was right behind her, trying to get her attention. The blonde girl looked over and yelled, and the blue girl moved her eyes from Max to the boy, wide eyed narrowing and relaxed jaw tightening into a rock hard clench. "Maxine where are we-"

The blue haired girl stepped back, then took a run up, and all the strength and muscle in her left leg sent her foot flying toward his crotch. Unbalanced she overshot, and instead her shin collided with his jewels while her foot perfectly slammed into his taint. The skinny boy collapsed into a wheezing heap, and Max recoiled only to find her shoe in the middle of the flame. The blonde girl screamed, and Max sent the shoe flying down the alley, hopping away as she hoped her sock hadn't burned through. The blue haired girl turned her eyes back to Max, and for a second the only noise was the skinny boy crying on the pavement.

"Max?"

"Chloe?"

Her eyes were a perfect blue, like she remembered, but the rest had changed. Her formerly soft and childish face had hardened into a woman's scowl. Her nose hadn't grown, and her ears were still tiny, but her lips were fuller, and her cheekbones had grown out sharp enough to cut cheddar. Her teeth looked perfect, but when she opened her mouth to shout Max could see the slight chip on one of her canines that had come from running into the door frame when she was 12.

"Shit, pigs. Run!" Her voice had dropped an octave, and she was so much taller than Max remembered, but when she grabbed her hand to run Max remembered being a child again, pirates in the Arcadia forest, and the way her heart used to leap.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Max had started that night with low expectations, she’d soon been separated from her flatmates when it became apparent they had incompatible sociolects and disposition. For the most part she was right, but as she finally collapsed on her buoyant and questionably smelling bed she was wide-eyed and exhilarated in a way that she had not felt in a long time.

University was an experience Max wasn’t sure she wanted but knew she needed if she was going to gain the life experience to see the world in the way she wants to reflect through her camera. She didn’t like change or mass crowds, she didn’t like feeling exposed the way she had from the moment she stepped inside Hedrick halls. It wasn’t that she was timid or even shy, she just struggled to make connections with people in the way that others always seemed to find so easy. She had mastered the first 3 questions you were supposed to ask when meeting a new person at university, “Where are you from, what are you studying, and which accommodation are you in?” and she’d even perfected her response to the same 3 questions “I’m from a small town called Arcadia Bay but I moved to Washington when I was 13, I’m studying photography and modern literature and I’m staying in Hedrick court.” As if your hometown, choice of course and accommodation revealed some deep insight into your personality.

But past this point Max did not understand where the conversation should go, and so she was completely out of her comfort zone. The truth is Max had felt this way long before her decision to attend UCLA. The only person who Max had always felt relaxed around was her childhood best friend - Chloe Price, and for the first time in nearly 5 years she had finally felt that way once again.

She replayed the events in her head, the dazzling sea blue of her eyes, now matched and emphasised through her animated locks, staring straight into her icy ones. The sound of her own name coming from a now matured voice, and the rush of nostalgia and the calm wave of serenity she’d felt as Chloe grabbed her hand and pulled her into the night for another one of their adventures.

Their hands were soon separated as the skinny blonde swayed Chloe in the opposite direction, after one short backwards glance Chloe disappeared into the distance. Max had stood there watching her brilliance leave, feeling empty without her presence but more hopeful and excited by what the days ahead had to offer. With this, Max turned to her side and dreamt of pirates.

 

By day the university had a different atmosphere, it was full of life and inclusive and seemed full of possibilities. She observed this by the lake, watching as the people who in the night were boastful and overbearing, were now approachable and carried the image of the next generation of lawyers and doctors. She breathed in this aura, and in it found the courage she had been searching for all morning to dial the number in her phone that had once been muscle memory.

Eventually she reached Chloe’s voicemail, and accepted that perhaps she was still sleeping. Chloe had never been an early riser, but Max had always tried to push her into being one. Instead she sent a text, unsure of what to say she left it at a simple ‘hey’. After nearly 5 years of no contact it felt drastically insufficient, especially knowing the lack of contact was entirely Max’s fault. When the message went straight to read Max tried to call again, but it was cancelled after 3 rings.

Max was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety and rejection. How could she have been so stupid to assume Chloe would even be happy to see her? She was understandably surprised to find herself confronted with Max in the night, but unlike Max this did not seem to have translated into the same sense of excitement.

No longer wanting to be surrounded by the joy she was witnessing in those around her, Max returned to her halls. As she was about to turn the corner in the hallway to her room, she paused herself at the mention of her name from nearby voices.

“She seems so pretentious and judgmental, she hasn’t even tried to talk to any of us since she got here.” Max could vaguely recognise the voice as belonging to Victoria Chase who occupied the room opposite her own.

“I know right, what is her problem? I hope she doesn’t spend the whole year bringing down the vibe like she did last night.”

Max realised voices had been moving closer to her, and before she had a chance to hide she was confronted with Victoria and Taylor. They seemed aghast to have been caught in their gossip, but simply gave a small look of disgust in Max’s direction and carried on down the hallway. She didn’t know why it bothered her so much to hear them talk about her this way, but as she closed the door of her room behind her she let tears fall in the safety of her privacy.

For 4 days Max barely left her room after, despite her lack of contact with other humans, she came down with the dreaded and merciless fresher’s flu. For 4 days Max’s room was cluttered in used tissues as she managed to get through 2 boxes, and various medicines were scattered on her desk. She’d tried them all but none of them offered her any release. Cocooned by her illness and feeling the rejection of her flatmates and her best friend, Max was feeling deeply sorry for herself. The only bliss came from her excuse to binge-watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix as she drowned herself in ice cream and pity.

She had hoped she’d been wrong about Chloe, that she had intended to respond to her calls and message but had simply been unable to at the time. But after 4 days with no response this seemed less and less likely, until a Facebook message came through from a girl named Rachel Amber. Max first noticed Chloe in her profile picture, but after closer investigation she recognised her as the pretty blonde Chloe had been with a few nights ago.

She opened the message, it said ‘ _Hi Max, my name is Rachel. I was hoping we could meet up to talk about Chloe?’_. Max eagerly typed out her reply.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again Max found herself sat by the lake. The last of the September sun appeared spent while Max was sick, and the unease in the sky echoed throughout her. She couldn’t help but feel threatened and jealous of this girl who spoke on behalf of her own best friend. In her absence it seemed Rachel Amber had taken Max’s shape and stretched the malleable structure, so Max could no longer fit.

Max’s feelings of unease were augmented when she looked up to see the blonde towering over her. Rachel Amber was everything Max Caulfield wasn’t. The girl was 70% leg, 30% hair and boobs and 100% stunning. She was perfectly developed while Max still had the appearance of a prepubescent teenage boy. Rachel’s social status was clearly aeons above Max, and this made Max doubt the foundation of her bond with Chloe if this was the kind of person she was hanging out with now. More than anything, Max feared Chloe had outgrown her.

“Max? Hi, I’m Rachel.” Her voice seemed smaller and more uncertain than Max had expected but her eyes never stopped piercing into hers. Max tried to hold her stare as she searched for words, but it was Rachel who won the power struggle.

“Yeah, I err, I recognise you from the other night.” Rachel gave a small nod as if she was accepting what Max had said before moving to sit by her side on the grass. Every move was calculated and formal, from the way her knees bent, and she stroked her skirt before sitting, to they way her posture remained upright, and her head tilted slightly downwards to return her gaze to Max. Everything about Rachel Amber made Max feel small.

They sat together on the grass for a while, enjoying the sights from their perch. Even under the clouds the lake was beautiful. At first the conversation was full of trepidation, neither girl wanting to give too much away, or bring up the topic they were here to discuss. It was one thing to be physically intimidated by her, letting Rachel know how wary she was of the situation felt like a trap. After a few minutes of talking about everything from the weather to those 3 questions you ask every new university student, Rachel's voice changed.

“Max, what are you doing here?” Rachel’s face was quizzical, but it was Max who was now confused.

“What do you mean what am I doing here?” Max responded.

“I mean here, in LA, what are you doing here?” She once again asked with a constant emphasis on here.

“I would think that’s obvious. I’m studying here, same as you I presume.” A small but noticeable hostility was in Max’s voice.

“But that’s my point. It’s the same as me, the same as Chloe. The world is an awfully big place Max, what are the chances of that?”

“What are you suggesting Rachel? That I knew she’d be here and that’s why I came? Believe me I’m as surprised as you.” Max’s voice was now a few decibels louder, while Rachel’s remained composed.

“No, I mean I don’t think so. It’s just Chloe always described you as a New York bound girl, but LA has been our destination for years. I suppose it wouldn’t make sense for you to be the same person you were when Chloe knew you, but still, why did you choose to come here?” Max didn’t like the use of the past tense infinitive, but Rachel’s demeanour had softened, and with a heavy sigh so did Max’s.

“I honestly don’t know. Your university is more than a place you study it’s the place you call your home. When it came to it New York didn’t feel like a home, but something was drawing me here.”

“Makes sense.” Rachel muttered, eyes on the ground.

“Rachel, why did you ask me here?”

“It’s Chloe, she’s… well she’s kind of gone into shut down mode since she saw you the other night.” Rachel paused briefly to gauge Max’s reaction before continuing. “At first she was so happy you were here, she wanted to break into every dorm on campus until she found yours.”

“That sounds like Chloe.” Max said with a smile.

“Yeah, but it was late and we were tired so we just drove home instead. The next day she would barely speak, and things haven’t really improved since. Max, I don’t want to make you feel guilty, but the truth is that Chloe felt betrayed and abandoned when you stopped contacting her, and I think all those feelings have come back after seeing you. I’m worried about her Max.” Max hated the idea of being the cause of Chloe’s pain.

“I know she did Rachel, and believe me I do feel guilty, but Chloe doesn’t want to see or hear from me so what can I do.”

“This isn’t a conversation you can have over the phone, but it’s one you guys need to have if you’re going to heal. She might not want to meet up with you, but I can tell you where she’s going to be.”

***

Chloe working in a coffee shop. Max just couldn’t picture it. Chloe had never been punctual, she’d always been clumsy, and her customer service was appalling. Max wasn’t sure that Rachel and herself had the same wishes on the outcome of her forced meeting with Chloe, but she was grateful to Rachel for telling her where Chloe worked and her shift patterns. Rachel’s only condition was that their meeting and what had been said stayed between them. Chloe’s next shift at the campus coffee shop was tomorrow afternoon, and Max planned on stopping by after her first day of lectures was finished.

When she arrived back at her dorm Max was tempted to head straight for her room, but Victoria had a point the other day – Max hadn’t been very sociable since arriving at UCLA. With a renewed sense of optimism Max redirected herself towards the communal kitchen and social area of their halls.

The light was off, and the space was empty, but it was nearly 6 so Max suspected people would be down to make food soon. She took her headphones out of her pocket and placed one in each ear. Listening to the soothing sound of her playlist, Max waited for her flatmates to join her.


	4. Chapter 4

Amongst the natural waves of nerves and excitement, the most striking thought Max kept coming back to while sitting in her first lecture was how unbelievably uncomfortable the seating arrangement was. She had placed her notebook on the surface in front of her, preferring this method over electronic alternatives, but found it was too far out of reach. She was either forced to lean forward in a way that was certainly going to contribute to issues with her spine later in life, or awkwardly rest the notebook on her lap. Max found it hard to believe that someone had designed this format to encourage optimum learning, and that every university seemingly throughout the world had agreed.

The second most striking element of this scene was the deafening silence within the room. There were no introductions or whispers from individuals already acquainted, other than occasional coughs from the sick there was only the sound of the united thought of uncertainty radiating from everyone in the room.

The professor clipped a microphone to his shirt and gave it a gentle tap to check it was working.

“Okay. Finish up your conversations guys and we’ll get started.” It was clear this was meant as a joke, but it was received with more silence. “Don’t worry, you’ll all get much closer than this during your time here, and to the coughing few, you should eventually return to full health… Today will mainly be an introduction lecture, speaking of I’m Professor John Simmons and I’m the director of studies for your program, any issues you have I’m the person to contact. Before we get any further, as a bit of an ice breaker, I want you to shake the hand of three people sitting close to you and introduce yourself. Go on, no need to be shy.”

Max was hesitant, but it seemed so was everyone around her. Max turned to her right and saw a small blonde looking timidly back at her, Max wasn’t usually the first to initiate conversation but the girl next to her seemed almost on the verge of tears and much further out of her comfort zone than Max was. Arm extended, Max spoke. “Hi, I’m Max.” The girl seemed cautious but slowly placed her hand in Max’s.

“I’m Kate, Kate Marsh.”

The air between them felt awkward, and Max wanted to say more but she was interrupted by a boy in front grasping her hand with a firm shake. “Cameron,” was all he said before turning to Kate and repeating his actions. As conversations around the room died down John spoke up.

“Statistically speaking most of you just met your best friend for your university experience. If you weren’t that fortunate, I hope you at least met someone you can stand to work with because in groups of four or five in your rows you are going to prepare a presentation for next week’s lecture on a topic I will introduce you to later on… I need one person in your group to email the names of your group members, anyone without a group by this time tomorrow will be randomly assigned one. Don’t stress too much, this is a very casual presentation and you are not being graded, it is meant to prepare you for future presentations that are assessed and help you guys to start communicating which is always a challenge in the first few weeks.”

If Max wasn’t already regretting every decision that had led to her sitting in this lecture hall, she certainly was now. Max was not a natural speaker and she was already dreading this presentation.

 

The day was not going how Max had planned. Max had made it to the campus coffee shop, only she wasn’t alone and despite being on her third mocha she was yet to say a word to Chloe. Instead she was sat with four strangers discussing photography in a post-truth era feeling sick to her stomach about having to present their research and stealing not so subtle glances at her ex best friend.

“Earth to Max! We were talking about the long-term effects of using a still image as emotional propaganda for political gains. Are you going to contribute to this project at all or just continue   
daydreaming?” Simon asked, or was it Sam? Max wasn’t paying attention to introductions.

“S-sorry, I uh agree with whatever you said, sorry I need a refill.” Max heard a comment about her already being on her third drink but she was already walking away. Walking towards the celestial being that was Chloe Price, and already forgetting the words she wanted to say.

She stopped at the till and found herself frozen in Chloe’s glare.

“Refill?” Chloe asked with bitterness in her tone after Max spent seconds stuttering.

“Yes, well no-”

“Not much I can do for you then, next!”

“Chloe please, I just want to talk. Can we please just talk?” Max’s voice was weak, and she could feel the threat of tears at Chloe’s apathy.

“No and you need to leave I’m trying to work.” Chloe’s voice was calm and that hurt more than if she’d screamed.

“Why won’t you hear me out, let me explain?”

“Because I don’t want some bullshit rehearsed speech from you Max. This is on my terms not yours. You didn’t come back for me, you cut me off and you didn’t come here for me either. If you hadn’t seen me the other night, I’d still be someone that got left in your past with no goodbye or explanation why. I’ve thought about you everyday since you left, I wanted nothing more than to see you again, but I didn’t realise how much I hated you until the adrenaline I got from seeing you again finally left. Now order a coffee or go.”

“Mocha.”

“Three dollars. Thanks.” She handed Chloe the money and then she left without waiting for her drink.

 

 

Max Caulfield was one week into university and already her flatmates hated her because she wasn’t cool the way they were, her course mates hated her because she’d been a total flake on the presentation, and her best friend hated her because she had been a terrible best friend. Not to mention, Max spent the remainder of Monday having hellacious coffee shits.

As Friday came and her first week of lectures was over, Max did the only thing she could think to do. She called her mum and packed a bag ready for a weekend trip home.

Locking her room behind her, Max headed for the stairs but was confronted by Victoria on her way. Victoria took one glance at Max, noticed the bag on her back and scoffed at Max.

“You’re going home already Max? You’ve been here a week; how do you expect to make friends if all you do is hide in your room and run home to mummy every chance you get.” Normally Max would shy down to someone like Victoria, but she’d been having a pretty crappy week and it helped her grow some balls she didn’t realise she had.

“Back off Victoria, why have you got to be such a bitch we’re not in high school anymore. And for the record I’d rather have no friends if you’re my main option.” This appeared to amuse Victoria.

“Well well the cat does have claws. You’re right this isn’t high school so stop waiting for people to hand things to you and make the changes you need to make instead of running home every time you get upset. The rest of us have spent the week bonding if you don’t join in soon you’re gonna spend the whole year getting left out.”

“Please all you care about is that I might, what was it ‘spend the whole year bringing down the vibe.’”

“You weren’t bringing the vibe down because you came out with us and you were boring Max, it was because you came out when you clearly didn’t want to be there. You don’t have to drink and party to hang with us.” Victoria sighed and continued “Look go home if you want but you can knock on my door when you get back if you want to talk about what’s driving you away. I’m not always a bitch.”


	5. Chapter 5

Max had only left home a week ago and yet she already felt like she no longer belonged in Seattle. She had hugged her family and enjoyed their cooking, made use of their free washing machine and been to see her friend Kristen and yet everything about her weekend home had felt like another reality. Everyone was too polite; they were treating her like she was a guest. What really took Max by surprise were the feelings that she missed UCLA, her problems felt far away but she was desperate to return and make them right. Max knew she had to make things right with Chloe, so she and Kristen spent most of the weekend figuring out ways to win back her friendship.

Kristen had first suggested a grand gesture at her workplace, but Max knew that would piss Chloe off more. They thought of sending apology gifts to Chloe through Rachel, but Max knew this would appear ingenuine. Max considered writing a letter, or a song, she thought maybe she could buy back her affection with concert tickets or a collage of their childhood.

“What is it that Chloe said to you?” Kristen asked.

“That I didn’t come back for her, that I cut her off and we’d still be strangers if we hadn’t bumped into each other.”

“Max you know you can’t make up for years of hurt through concert tickets and teddy bears right? The only thing you can do to make it right is prove to her that history won’t repeat itself.” Max nodded.  
“Yeah I know.”

“Max… why did you cut Chloe out of your life?” Max sighed; she wasn’t sure she could give a satisfying answer. Max had come up with so many excuses in her head but none of them felt like they were enough.

“I don’t know, we kept in contact for a while, but it felt so forced. There was no one I could be myself around like I could with Chloe, but suddenly we couldn’t move beyond phatic expressions. Chloe meant the world to me and it hurt too much to have her in my life in a way that wasn’t true to the friendship we’d built.”

 

Max arrived back at campus late on Sunday night. Her presentation was tomorrow, she’d done her best to practice her part and despite her hesitance she knew she had to pull through for the group she’d let down all week. As she made her way to her dorm, Max made herself a promise that the next week would be better than the last. Peering through the kitchen window Max caught the eye of Victoria watching her return. Max offered Victoria a small smile before heading to her room. She planned on taking Victoria up on her offer to talk, but for tonight Max was tired and needed to go over her lines for her presentation once more in peace.

 

The presentation went as well as could be expected. Max apologised to her project group, Sam maintained his annoyance, but the others were kinder “first week is hard, we understand”, Max even made plans to study with Kate later in the week. Suddenly Max didn’t feel so alone at UCLA, but she knew her penance was far from over. 

Max entered the campus coffee shop, and sure enough her blue-haired friend was working behind the till. 

“I’ll have a mocha. Everyday I’m going to be here ordering a mocha until you talk to me. You can’t get rid of me so easy Price.”

“I could the first time.” Chloe’s tone was sad, but Max got the feeling she was happy Max was going to fight for them.

“A mistake I’ll regret forever and never make twice.” Max took her beverage and went to sit by the window, she watched students walk by some looking stressed some laughing with their friends and thought how glad she was she decided to join them at university. Max pulled a book out of her bag and settled into her seat for the afternoon.

After an hour reading in the coffee shop, and on her second drink Max noticed a shadow covering her pages. She looked up and saw Victoria Chase towering over her.

“Mind if I join?” Victoria asked. Max was still weary of Victoria, but she admired her too.

“Not at all.” Max replied nodding to the empty seat. They sat in silence for a few moments, Max felt awkward in the silence, but Victoria seemed completely at ease.

“Mocha huh?” Victoria’s tone was playful.

“You disapprove?” Max replied with a raised eyebrow.

“No, it suits you. I just prefer my own a bit more bitter.” Victoria said, nodding to her black coffee. “So, was you weekend home what you needed?” 

“Yes and no, it was strange I’ve barely been gone 5 minutes, but I already feel like I don’t belong back there anymore. You were right I should’ve stayed, and I should be trying harder with you guys. I guess being social doesn’t come so naturally to me.”

“I’m sorry for what you heard in the corridor last week, you’re right it was bitchy and this isn’t high school. I guess we’re both trying to improve ourselves, being nice doesn’t always come naturally to me.” Max was surprised but once again impressed by Victoria’s admission. She knew that if they’d met in high school they probably would’ve hated each other, but in a place with no hierarchy maybe they could be friends.

“You’re doing an ok job right now.” Max said with a smile, and Victoria smiled back.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you running away from?” Max considered making something up, but something compelled her to trust Victoria, so she nodded towards Chloe instead.  
“Her.”

Max caught Victoria Chase up on the story of her childhood friendship with Chloe Price and how it all went wrong, which almost led to Victoria dragging Chloe over and making what would have surely been an embarrassing scene. Max begged Victoria with a red face to leave it be to which Victoria laughed but put her hands up to surrender. Once their drinks were empty Victoria asked Max if she wanted to return to the dorm with her and Max was happy to oblige. She asked Victoria to wait outside for her before approaching Chloe.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Price.” Max winked and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

“Mocha please.” Max routinely chimed as she had done the past few weeks.

“Coming right- woah what the hell are you wearing?” Chloe demanded as she turned her gaze to Max.

“It’s a toy albatross. The Mariner was forced to wear it around his neck as a symbol of penance and so shall I until you talk to me. Mine isn’t as heavy and it doesn’t smell so bad but it’s the best I got.” Chloe didn’t say anything, but the crease of her contained smirk told Max she was trying not to laugh.

Autumn had arrived and it was Max’s favourite season. With Autumn came beautiful colours from fallen leaves and Max instinctively reached for her camera so she could immortalise the scenery around her. Max shook and admired the photo, and then returned the camera to her eye and aimed it instead at Chloe. Chloe noticed Max photograph her and seemed taken aback but whether she was angry Max couldn’t tell. Still, Max didn’t want to push Chloe too far before she was ready to let Max back in, so she pocketed the photo, finished her drink and walked to the exit of the coffee shop.

“Wait, c-can I see the photo.” This was the first time Chloe had initiated any conversation, so Max didn’t hesitate to hand it over. “No not that one, the first one.” This time Max was taken aback, and suddenly self-conscious – she didn’t usually show anyone the photos she took but she handed it over nonetheless. “It’s beautiful.” Chloe said and pocketed the photo for herself.

“I like the second one better,” this time Chloe couldn’t contain her emotions. Chloe blushed and Max had caused it, and then she realised she was blushing too. Once again, she turned to leave.

“Max wait… Happy birthday.” Chloe looked conflicted; she wasn’t ready to forget the past but there had already been too many lost birthdays.

“You remember?”

“Look don’t read too much into it, but of course I remember. So… you doing anything to celebrate?”

“I haven’t really told anyone it’s my birthday, besides I just spent it with the person I care most about.” Chloe processed this and returned the change Max had used to pay for her coffee, saying it was a birthday gift. Max smiled at this as she walked away.

“Just so you know this doesn’t count as talking, you better come in wearing that bird thingy tomorrow!” Chloe called after her.

 

Despite having kept her date of birth a secret, this hadn’t stopped Victoria from finding out – ‘duh Facebook’ was her explanation. Max was slowly getting to know everyone in her dorm and was even getting on well with Dana who had the room above Max’s, but most of the time Max relied on Victoria to act as her personal social buffer.

“Chill out Max, I didn’t tell everyone, and I only organised a meal for you, me, Dana and your weird short friend, Katie is it?” Max playfully slapped Victoria’s arm.

“You know it’s Kate, and she’s not weird. And thank you, that actually sounds nice.”

“Good, now I got you something small too. I considered buying you a new wardrobe since your fashion style is tragic, but I thought this journal was more your thing.” Max rolled her eyes at the fashion comment but couldn’t find it in herself to take offence when Victoria handed her the journal. Victoria was right, it was very her.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” Max gave Victoria a hug before excusing herself to her room so she could video call her parents.

“I’ll knock on your door at six.”

When she made it to her room the first thing Max did was grab the photo she’d taken of Chloe and glue it into her new journal. She wrote a few lines about the moment she’d captured and smiled at the blue-haired, enchanting women. They had still been girls when they parted, that things had changed was undeniable, but the connection Max felt to Chloe was stronger than it had ever been, somehow, she knew that Chloe felt the same.

Max made a quick effort to tidy (but not necessarily clean) her room before she called her parents, they would surely want a tour. She shoved dirty clothes under her bed and placed old cups and plates into an empty cupboard until everything appeared orderly. Max was just about to press ‘ring’ when she noticed the dead plant in the corner of her eye. ‘Shit’ she muttered to herself, the plant had been a parting gift from her parents, and they had asked her to keep it alive as they had kept her alive for 18 years. It seemed stupid to Max, but the gift had made her parents happy. It was too late to replace it, so Max simply placed it in the hallway and prayed it didn’t get mentioned.

It got mentioned, and Max got lectured. But family obligations were over, and as promised Victoria knocked on Max’s door at exactly 6pm.

“Well don’t you look exactly the same as you did an hour ago.” Max gave Victoria a look of confusion.

“What?”

“Max we are celebrating your birth, and you are going to dress like it, come on!”

Max felt completely out of her comfort zone. She was wearing an old dress of Victoria’s and the restaurant they were dining in was the fanciest place Max had ever stepped into. “Get used to it Caulfield, you’re dining with Victoria Chase now, and order your weight in food because it’s all on me.” Max didn’t like people paying for her, but she got the feeling that Victoria would only find it strange if she protested. 

“Fuck it, bring on the champagne.” Max muttered and Victoria clapped her hands approvingly. Max had never been to a restaurant and had a 3-course meal, but she could definitely get used to it, and she had to admit she was having a nice time. She had initially been worried that Kate would feel out of place hanging out with Victoria, but the girl was a lightweight. One drink and she was happily sharing her life story with the table (apparently, she’s scared of turtles, and has a crush on Sam from our presentation group).

“Okay let’s get this girl some water, but speaking of boys who has everyone else got their eyes on? I’m already spoken for by Trevor.” Dana asked.

“Please I have no interest in boys, my acting professor on the other hand…” Victoria announced which earned a chorus of whistles around the table. “Max what about you?”

“Um, no boys yet I guess.” Max shrugged.

“And what about the girl you’ve been stalking, you’re telling me that’s platonic?” Victoria questioned.

“Chloe and I are just friends; besides she seems pretty close to Rachel Amber, they are always all over each other at the coffee shop.”

“Do I detect jealousy?” Victoria responded, to which Max rolled her eyes. “Besides I know Rachel, sure her and Chloe live together in a small one bed, they work together, and they even tried being more than friends once. Ultimately Rachel prefers boys so your path to Chloe is free.”

“How exactly did you find all that out?” Max asked.

“Duh, I was asking for you.” This made Max smile, Victoria was loyal, but she’d shrug it off and say something bitchy in the next sentence to make up for it. In a way her and Max balanced each other nicely.

The girls finished their desserts and ordered an uber back to campus. Max thanked everyone for celebrating her birthday with her and told Kate to drink some more water. Later, in bed, Max thought about what Victoria had said. Rachel and Chloe were only friends, and for reasons Max couldn’t quite put her finger on, that made her smile as she closed her eyes and began to drift off.

And then Victoria came in carry two wine glasses and an expensive looking bottle.

“Pants on Caulfield, night’s not over, I hope you don’t sleep naked.”


	7. Chapter 7

Max awoke to the foul taste of champagne growing in her mouth and infecting insides. Did it taste this bad last night Max wondered? Max had never really drunk before last night and so she was experiencing her first hangover. Her forehead ached and her crown screamed whenever she moved. She wanted to stay curled up in bed but being horizontal only made her stomach angrier. She’d had a nice evening with people she was beginning to consider good friends, and her and Victoria had laughed for hours aided by the bottle of wine she brought into her room, but Max wasn’t sure it was worth the price she was paying now. 

Eventually Max decided sitting up was better than laying down, Max reached for her phone to check the time – it was 5.30 am. What are you supposed to do when you feel like you’re dying but you can’t lie down?

Max glanced around her room for water or pain killers or a handgun, but all she saw was the albatross. Chloe’s shift started at 6, why not get in early she thought, coffee and food might do her some good. Max brushed her teeth with more dedication than her mouth had ever known, combed her hair and put on the comfiest socially acceptable to wear in public clothes she could find and made her way to her bedroom door. She paused briefly by her camera, taking a quick selfie of her lowest moment, taking it and her new journal with her.

Max arrived at the campus café at exactly 6am as it was opening. The café was empty with the exception of her blue pirate. Chloe noticed the zombie mirroring Max Caulfield enter the café and laughed at her friend’s pain.

“I think you can take the albatross off, looks like you’re doing penance enough this morning.” Chloe laughed.

“A promise is a promise, and why are you so bright, can you dim it down a bit for the suffering?” 

“Sorry I think my brightness levels only come with the one setting. So, I guess you found other people you wanted to celebrate your birthday with.” Chloe challenged, but with a tone of amusement.

“It wasn’t my plan, a friend found out about my birthday and we went out for food but now everything hurts. I need- I don’t know what I need.”

“I know what you need, go take a seat I’ll bring you water, pain killers and a bacon butty.”

“That sounds heavenly.” Max obeyed. Taking her usual window seat, Max put her new selfie into her journal and captioned it ‘the embodiment of death’. Chloe returned with the promised drugs and water before disappearing again for the food. Max noted how the water tasted like rotting toothpaste, but the hydration immediately made her feel a little better. Max scrolled through her phone while she waited and found a dozen photos she didn’t remember taking, most of them blurred and the rest less than flattering.

“Here you go, breakfast for the broken.” Max muttered a thanks, and felt her stomach settle down with the first bite. To her surprise, Chloe took the seat opposite Max and watched as she ate.

“I miss you Chloe.” Max’s words were vulnerable, and honest, she waited anxiously as Chloe thought out her response.

“I miss you too Max, and there are moments when I look at you and I see my best friend and life is right again… But the rest of the time I look at you and I remember all the pieces you broke me into. You left me Max, you forgot me, and you built a new life without me. I could never have done that to you.”

“That’s not true Chloe, I could never forget you. I thought of you every day we were apart, and you were with me every moment of my life in Seattle. Every achievement, every setback, you were the first person I wanted to tell. I handled things wrong and I regretted that constantly, but I mean what I said, I want to make things right. I need you in my life Chloe.” Chloe wouldn’t meet Max’s eye; she kept her gaze fixed on the beanie she held in her hands.

“Did you read the messages I sent you? I kept talking to you even though you stopped talking back. You knew I was hurting.”

“I read them all Chloe, I knew I was hurting you and that broke me maybe more than it broke you.” At this Chloe looked at Max, and an understanding seemed to pass between them. Before anyone else could speak, they were interrupted by the early risers coming in for their morning coffee. 

Chloe went back to work and Max returned to her dorm. She met Victoria in the hallway who looked well rested and dressed for a morning yoga session.

“Um, what the fuck.” Said Max. Victoria took one glance at the state of Max and laughed. “Why are you fine, you should be feeling as crappy as I do it’s not fair.” Victoria placed her hand on Max’s shoulder and said, “years of practise my friend.” And she carried on down the hallway. 

Max decided to blow off her lectures for the day and returned to bed where she slipped into a dreamless oblivion until early afternoon when she was awoken by a knock on her door. 

“Come in,” Max yelled. Max wiped and refocused her eyes, and sure enough a blue angel was standing over her. “Chloe? What- how do you even know where my dorm is.”

“I have my ways Caulfield,” Chloe responded with a mischievous tone. Chloe made herself at home investigating Max’s room. It didn’t take her long to unearth Max’s dirty laundry, and Max received a raised eyebrow when Chloe routed through her cupboards and found used mugs and plates. “You are very strange Caulfield, and why is there a dead plant in your hallway?” Max simply shrugged and Chloe didn’t push.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“My shift just ended, and our conversation got cut short earlier.” Chloe joined Max on the bed but neither women could think of the words they wanted to get out. In the end Max just went with ignoring the topic on both their minds.

“So how do you find time to study and work all the hours you work?” Chloe frowned in confusion at this.

“Oh, I’m not a student, I just work in the coffee shop, Rachel is the student. I moved out here with her, between her loan and my sucky wages we just about scrape by.”

“Oh. So, you and Rachel are close?” Max asked though she found herself jealous at the simple mention of Rachel’s name.

“Yeah, she was really there for me after… well after you left. I don’t know where I’d be without her.” Max looked down in shame. “I’m not trying to guilt you Max, that’s why I came here. I want us to move on from the past, I need you in my life too. Just please don’t leave me again.” Max was crying and Chloe seemed close.

“Never.” The girls embraced each other tightly, their hug conveying the emotions they couldn’t express. The moment was cut short by Victoria’s entrance.

“Hey Max, just checking you’re- oh! I see you’re doing just fine; I’ll leave you two to it. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do Max.” Victoria said with a wink as she closed the door.

“Weird.” Chloe muttered. Max nodded in agreement.

“Chloe, when is your next day off?”

“Sunday, why?”

“I want you to come somewhere with me.” Said Max.

“Can I bring the albatross?”


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday came and Max awoke feeling giddy at the prospect of spending the day with Chloe. Max grabbed her phone and saw Chloe was already up and messaging her. Max was certain that Chloe never used to be such an early riser. Then again Chloe never really cared for attendance or punctuality, a consistent work schedule is doing her some good. 

Chloe: So you finally gonna tell me where we’re going?

Max: You said I built a new life without you in Seattle, so I want to show you that you were always a part of it.

Chloe: Seattle hmmm? I don’t know Max…

Max: You have to come, I already bought your plane ticket.

Chloe: You fight dirty Caulfield. It’s really just a day trip?

Max: Scouts honour

Chloe: You were never a girl scout

Max: Touché. Flight out is at 9.30

Chloe: I’ll pick you up in half an hour

Max: You have a car? 

Chloe: Perks of living off campus Caulfield, I have a parking spot. See you soon X

Max: See you then 😎😎😎

Chloe: No emojis.

Max chuckled but didn’t respond. Dropping her phone, she struggled out from under her duvet and climbed out of the twin bed. The two dorm showers were currently occupied, and Chloe was set to be there by 7:30. Sighing at the grossness of it all, she settled for using baby wipes where she needed them and antiperspirant where she didn't. Her hair was a greasy nest and desperately needed a wash, but she settled for dry shampoo and five minutes of angry, curse filled. brushing. By the time 7:15 rolled around she almost looked presentable. She toyed with the idea of make-up but decided against it. All she had to hand was an unopened lipstick and eyeliner that she normally ended up blinding herself with, Chloe would have to deal without. She had spent the first 10 years of their friendship clean faced, why not continue?

The communal kitchen was surprisingly busy for a Sunday morning. Dana and the big football lug she’s seeing were asleep on the couch, reeking of day-old spirits. Taylor was quietly humming show tunes to herself by the counter, staring impatiently at the toaster. Victoria, as pristine looking as ever, was loading fruit into the juicer with one hand while she poured coffee with the other. 

"Someone is up at a sociable hour. Busy morning?" Victoria turned to look at her, a knowing smile crossing her lips. "You didn't have anyone keeping you up, did you?" Max couldn't help but smile. She had been smiling a lot lately, it was a new feeling for her.

"Chloe is picking me up in…" she checked her phone "eight and a half minutes. Is there coffee?" She also needed something to eat but would have to settle for one of Victoria’s bananas.

"Well well well. On Friday you have her in your room, today you're going out together. You're not actually listening to your heart are you Max?" Max could feel her face turn bright pink. 

"It's not like that. We're just friends. Good friends, or at least we're getting there." Max accepted the coffee that Victoria handed her, as hot as the sun and as black as space. "I'm taking her to Seattle for the day."

"Seattle? Lucky girl." The juicer sprang to life and for a minute Max couldn't hear herself think. When she tried to sip the coffee the combined taste and heat and caffeine rush almost took her off of her feet. She found she didn’t so much mind the bitterness of it.

By the time she'd managed to score a banana from Victoria and a muffin from her own cupboard, she was out of time. Downing the coffee and saying goodbye to Victoria, she left the kitchen and turned right out of the door. By the time she'd made it to the student car park Chloe was sat on the bonnet of a huge, rust red 4x4. 

"She makes it at last. Where's the bird?" Struggling to hold the banana and muffin with one small hand, she fumbled the plush albatross out of her rucksack. 

"Albert will be flying with us, don't worry. He's too lazy to fly himself there."

"Albert? The albatross?" Chloe snorted, that fun and care-free smile coming back to her. For a second Max wanted to reach forward and touch it, feel the warmth of her cheek and the smoothness of her skin, and the sharp cheekbone that Max thought belonged on a supermodel. But only for a moment. "Come on, traffic is a bitch at this hour. There's coffee and doughnuts on the back seat." 

Settling in for the drive, Max finished the mocha Chloe had brought by the time they were even off campus. The seat practically swallowed her, and the suspension threatened to flip them with every slight bump in the road, it was clearly Chloe's pride and joy. Every wall and surface had some crude message or drawing sharpied in, even the horn had a bullseye drawn in.

"So where exactly are you taking me?" Chloe asked, pulling into the airport parking lot.

"Just a few places. Did you bring a raincoat?"

"No? Why, does it rain a lot in Seattle?"

Max couldn't help but sigh.

 

Chloe was just as impatient as Max remembered, she spent the entire plane journey fidgeting like a child and being a nuisance to the passengers around her. “Why doesn’t this plane have one of those screen things so we can watch movies?” Chloe had asked Max, to which Max had patiently explained that it was only a 3-hour domestic flight and so they weren’t required. Chloe pouted at Max and asked how much longer the flight would be, Max told her it would be five minutes less than the last time she asked.

By the time they landed in Seattle Max felt she’d mastered travelling with a child and was ready to celebrate with lunch. They stepped outside the airport and sure enough, it was raining.

“Make it stop.” Chloe demanded of Max, who simply shook her head.

“I’m no Super Max, sorry. You hungry?” Max asked Chloe, whose face lit up at the prospect of food. “We’ve got about 5 hours in the city before we need to head back to the airport. Stop number one is the place I would frequent for lunch.”

“Damn, I was hoping your mum was cooking for us. I’ve missed her food.” Chloe pouted again.

“Trust me you’ll like this place, besides no one knows I’m in Seattle for the day. Today is all about you Chloe Price.” Chloe smiled at this.

“All about me and this bird!” Chloe replied with the enthusiasm of the girl from Max’s childhood. Max simultaneously laughed and shook her head at her best friend.

“I really didn’t think you’d get so attached to that thing.” Max ordered an uber to their lunch destination, and herself, Chloe and Albert took their first selfie of the day to document the trip.

As the car drove the girls to the diner Max once again became overwhelmed with the feeling that Seattle didn’t feel like home. She passed the streets that she’d known for years and that held countless memories and realised she no longer felt anything for them. Instead those passed feelings of safety and love were now being directed at the friend by her side. Max turned to Chloe and found Chloe’s gaze was already on her, they smiled at one another and tilted their heads to rest and hold the other up for the remainder of the journey.

The girls were starving when they reached their destination. They both thanked the uber driver – Gary father of three and aspiring D&D player as Chloe’s interrogation revealed – before hurrying into the diner. The surprise on Chloe’s face when they entered was exactly what Max had been hoping to evoke.

“Woah, this place gives me mad Two Whale vibes.”

“Why do you think it’s my favourite place to eat.” Max replied, her voice soft and sincere. “Every time I came here, I felt close to you.” Chloe didn’t know how to respond to this, and it wasn’t often that she was speechless.

The food did not compare to Joyce’s Chloe had concluded, but it wasn’t bad, and it reminded her of home. The music on the jukebox had helped win her over more, by the time the girls were leaving Chloe and drained both of them of quarters.

“So where are mummy and mummy taking baby Albert next?” Chloe asked, skipping to catch up with Max who was already leading the way out of the diner.

“I figure we should make the most of the break in weather, I want to take you to my lighthouse.”

“Lighthouse. Man, I didn’t realise how much I missed that place. Arcadia Bay is shithole, but it does have one cool place.” Max told Chloe it wasn’t a long walk to which Chloe called bullshit on after they were forty minutes in, the rain had picked back up and Max still wouldn’t reveal how much further they had to walk. “Max Caulfield I did not ask you for a cardio session, if I wanted to go for a hike, I would go for a hike. Tell me we are nearly there, or I swear to god they will find your body in these woods tomorrow morning.”

“Stop being so dramatic Chloe, we are nearly there.”

“You said that fifteen minutes ago. The devil lives in you Caulfield, it’ll take more than a bird around your neck to make up for this one.” Max rolled her eyes at Chloe’s melodrama and continued to lead the way. A headache and a half later they reached a clearing with a view of a national park and once again Max acquired the surprised look from Chloe she’d wanted.

“It’s a pirate ship.” Chloe’s voice wasn’t more than a whisper.

“Yeah, I found this place about six months after I moved here. I would come here whenever I needed to think, or whenever I missed you.” Twice in one day Chloe was rendered speechless. Chloe and Max took shelter under a nearby roof and sat side by side, soaking, freezing, sore, but content with each other’s company as they reminisced about their childhood.

Eventually another break in weather arrived, out of fear of catching hypothermia Max decided to order a car to her home, so that they could each take a warm shower and change into dry clothes.  
When they arrived, there were no cars on the drive. Max’s parents usually went out for a late Sunday lunch, but she had no idea what time to expect them back. She prayed they were gone by then or she’d lose the rest of the day with her parents wanting to catch up with Chloe.

Max’s room was just as it had been left, it looked like the room of an artistic teenager – a stylish mess. It felt strange to be in her room with Chloe even though that’s how they had spent their childhoods. Max felt exposed as Chloe inspected it, giving nothing away as to what she was thinking. Max left to fetch Chloe a towel, and when she arrived back in her room Chloe was hunched on her bed holding the framed photo she kept on her bedside table.

“That’s one of my favourites of us.” Max’s voice was huskier than usual.

“Mine too. Max you kept everything.” Chloe stated.

“How could I not?”

“I didn’t. I was so mad at you Max it consumed me. And all this time you were channelling our time apart in a way that kept our memory alive.” Something compelled Max to take Chloe’s hand and use her other to direct Chloe’s face towards her own.

“You are so important to me Chloe, always have been and always will be. No distance could change that.” Chloe’s face was full of emotion, and the distance between them was so miniscule it hurt that they weren’t touching. But Max stood up and handed Chloe the towel. “Bathroom is down the hall, first door on your left. You’re shaking, you must be freezing.” Chloe accepted the towel and turned to leave, she paused briefly by the doorway.

“I’m not.”

By the time the girls were showered and had managed to find an outfit of Max’s that Chloe could fit into it was almost time to head back to the airport. 

“Sorry the weather cut our city tour short.” Chloe said.

“I’m not, today was perfect. Besides the only place left on the list was a museum I liked to go to, and you probably would’ve found it boring.”

“But it’s something that’s important to you. I guess we’ll just have to come back.

Max smiled, and they began their journey home. Chloe did not fidget or complain, she just sat next to Max on the plane happy to be with her, and then she drove her back to her dorm.

“Goodnight Max.” Chloe said as Max closed the door of the truck.

“Goodnight Chloe.”


	9. Chapter 9

It was around 10pm when Max walked into her dorms after spending the day in Seattle with Chloe. She felt ancient and exhausted and at the same time young and excitable. The day had been a whirlwind, and so much more than Max had been expecting. She knew their connection was stronger than ever now their separation was over, but the new bond they were forming was different than the one they’d shared as children – it was more mature, but Max wasn’t entirely sure what it was maturing into.

“What’s got you grinning like a kid with candy?” Max squealed. She had thought the communal space was empty when she came in for a glass of water, but Victoria was sat in the corner laughing at Max’s expense.

“Christ Victoria! What were you doing in here in the dark, I didn’t even know you could turn these lights off.”

 “You can’t, they are motion sensitive, but I haven’t moved for a while. Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, midnight snack,” she said nodding to her bowl of cereal. Since airport food had sucked, Max decided to make a bowl herself and joined Victoria. “So, I’m guessing Seattle was a success?” Victoria asked.

“Mmhm,” Max confirmed with her mouth full of cereal. “It was perfect, I showed her a couple of my favourite spots, it rained relentlessly, we talked, and we really connected.” Max was practically dancing.

“You connected huh? Like emotionally or like how I plan to connect with my acting professor?” Victoria questioned with raised eyebrows.

“God Victoria! Emotionally.”

“Don’t sound so disgusted Maxine, you seriously telling me you wouldn’t cause I sure would.” Max would usually cringe at someone calling her Maxine, but somehow, she didn’t mind when Victoria said it.

“Let me know when your plan with the professor works out, and then I’ll let Chloe know you might be onto her next.” Max returned between mouthfuls. “What have you been up to this weekend anyway, you were MIA yesterday?”

“Stalker much,” Victoria teased. “I was practising my project scene all day; presentations are next week. My project partner has an apartment off campus, so it was the ideal rehearsal location.”

“You feeling ready?”

“I’m always ready for everything Maxine,” she replied with a playful smirk, Max chuckled. “Anyways I’m heading up now, you coming?” Max nodded and quickly washed her bowl before following Victoria up to the second floor. They said goodnight at their doors and Max collapsed on her bed replaying the day’s events.

 

Max groaned at the incessant scream of her alarm. _It’s just a single two-hour lecture Max you can do this_ she told herself, but this was quickly followed by _yeah, but it’s recorded so why don’t I just watch it later instead_. And at that, the battle was lost. Max was just dropping back off to sleep when her phone rang again, a text this time. Max checked it hoping it was Chloe, she felt guilty at her disappointment that it was actually Kate.

Kate: _You coming today?_

Max contemplated saying no but she knew her guilt would only grow if she didn’t attend for Kate’s sake.

Max: _Yeah see you there._

Kate was carrying coffee when Max arrived, she smiled and greeted her friend.

“Here one is for you.” Kate’s small voice offered.

“I need this, thank you.” Max said as they walked inside and prepared to spend the next two hours fighting to stay awake. The lecture halls are poorly designed for notetaking, but they are somehow perfect to fall asleep in.

“Max, wake up. It’s over.” Kate said, shaking Max awake. _Crap_ Max thought, not only did she actually get out of bed for this, she slept through it, so she was still going to have to watch it later online. Max apologised to Kate for being a terrible lecture buddy, before heading back to her room to do some actual work before her usual coffee date with a blue pirate.

 

 

“Hey you.” Max said with a smile.

“Hey you, let me guess… green tea?” Chloe responded returning Max’s smile.

“You know me too well.” Max grinned.

“Go take a seat, it’s pretty quiet at the minute, I’ll bring your drink over.”

Chloe made her way over to Max a few minutes over and offered her a beverage. It was a mocha with heart shaped chocolate shavings on top and it sent a strange wave through Max’s stomach. “Thanks,” she said.

“I know we’re cool now, but I was kind of hoping you’d still bring Albert to visit.” Chloe said with one of her best pouts yet.

“As if I would forget him,” Max replied, pulling the albatross out of her bag, watching Chloe’s face light up as she did. “I was actually thinking he might want to go stay with you for a while, if you’ll have him.”

“Well of course I’d love to take him, what does he eat, I wouldn’t want to be the person to kill an albatross?”

“Just keep him oxygenated and he should be fine.” Max played along.

“Oxygen it is,” Chloe took the bird and returned to work, leaving Max with her drink, her journal and her chocolate heart. Max now had the selfies she and Chloe had taken to add to her pages. The first one was the two of them outside the airport, with Chloe holding Albert up with a smile that covered her whole face. Max couldn’t help but smile back. The next was a shot of Chloe in the rain as she was looking out at the pirate ship, she looked peaceful, natural and beautiful. The final picture was once again of Chloe, only in this one she was wearing Max’s clothes. Despite the outfit being too big for Max, it still came up too short on Chloe, and the clothes definitely weren’t her style. Max laughed at the memory and realised there was a whole lot of Chloe in Max’s new journal, but that there was no one else she would rather fill it with.

Max looked up and saw that Rachel had come into the diner. She looked over at Max and smiled, but it was one that Max couldn’t return. She couldn’t help it – seeing Rachel hanging all over Chloe made her jealous. Partly because Max still couldn’t help but feel like Chloe had replaced Max with a taller and more beautiful model, but also because it would probably make her jealous to see anyone hanging over Chloe the way she did. Max had never felt this possessive over someone before, and the feeling confused her.

 

Max returned to her dorm. She felt guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, but she didn’t want to see or strike up a conversation with Rachel, and she was aware that her feelings were completely irrational. She told herself she should be grateful that someone had been there for Chloe when she wasn’t, but Max hated the fact that whenever Max and Chloe parted, Chloe was going home to Rachel. In their stupid, small one-bedroom apartment. What even were the sleeping arrangements, Max hadn’t wanted to ask and had to remind herself that it was none of her business and why did she care so much anyway?

Hunger finally forced Max to cruel out of her jealous rage and go downstairs to cook some dinner. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Victoria and Taylor huddled around a laptop screen. They exchanged hellos and pleasantries. Max was happy with her friendship with Victoria, whoever she was before they met, she was trying to mature into a kinder person. Taylor on the other hand was just a bitch, and she made Max feel unable to talk freely with Victoria when she was around.

Still once she’d put the oven on for her pizza, Max felt obliged to join them both at the table. As soon as she did, Taylor made an excuse about being behind on work and left them both alone, though Max suspected her presence was what made her suddenly so studious. Max didn’t mind.

“Whatcha cooking good lookin?” Victoria asked, Max rolled her eyes but gave Victoria a playful smile.

“My specialty of course, pizza.”

“Max no, all you eat is pizza. You need to eat a vegetable, just one it’s all I ask.”

“But they are so much effort to prepare and cook.” Max whined.

“So, eat one raw! Go into my section of the fridge right now and eat the carrot sticks.” Max started to protest but Victoria raised her eyebrows in insistence. “Good girl.”

“Thanks mum. Can I put my pizza in the oven now?”

“Nah go turn the oven off, lets order takeout and watch a movie in my room.”

“Since when does Victoria Chase eat takeout?”

“Healthy takeout exists Max, you’ve just never tried it.”

 

Max decided to branch out of her comfort zone by ordering a pizza. They were about half an hour into _Gerald’s Game_ (Victoria’s choice – apparently that girl is far more twisted than Max had initially realised), when Max noticed a text from Chloe.

Chloe: _What kind of psychopath leaves her child in a café without saying goodbye!_

Max didn’t know she was grinning at her phone until Victoria asked who was causing it.

“It’s umm, Kate. She made a joke.” Victoria frowned at Max.

“At least come up with a realistic lie next time, and don’t leave your girlfriend waiting you best reply to that.” Max said nothing, instead she returned to Chloe’s text.

Max: S _orry Chloe I needed to get back to my room to finish some work._

Chloe: _It’s cool I get it, Albert doesn't but I do. Listen Rachel saw you earlier and she wants to get to know you properly. Will you meet us on campus for breakfast tomorrow?_

Max could not think of something she wanted to do less than sit and have breakfast with Rachel. A second later another text came through.

Chloe: _It would mean a lot to me if you guys were friends._

Max sighed.

Max: _Of course, I’ll be there!_

Max couldn’t wait. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, there probably won't be any updates for a week or so after this one, I've got 5 exams next week that I need to focus on.  
> Hope you're all enjoying the story so far :)

Max awoke confused, uncomfortable, and poorly rested. She was looking up at a ceiling, but it seemed higher than usual and unfamiliar. Max turned her head to her left and saw a hand hanging off a bed that wasn’t hers. Victoria’s hand. Victoria’s bed. In her pre-coffee state, Max tried to recall what had happened last night. She remembered watching a film with Victoria last night – _Gerald’s Game_ , and with that piece of information everything around her suddenly made more sense.

The film had started off as a kinky weekend trip to save a marriage, Max had thought this was going to make for a tedious 100-minute film, but she could cope with it, Victoria had wanted her to watch it after all. However, the film took a turn, and while not necessarily a scary one, it became one of the most unnerving and uncomfortable cinematic experiences of Max’s 19 years. Suppose it should have been expected from a movie adaptation of a Steven King novel.

Max had then returned to her own room but as the evening got darker and Max got weary, she couldn’t stop the phrase ‘you’re not real, you’re only made of moonlight’ from playing in her head, and every shadow suddenly looked like a 7ft tall necrophiliac. Since Max’s anxious state was Victoria’s fault, she decided Victoria was going to be the person to help her through it. And that was the decision that led to her sleeping on a small air-filled camping mattress on Victoria’s wooden floor, with a blanket that didn’t reach her toes.

Max checked the watch on Victoria’s hand, she needed to get ready to meet Chloe and Rachel. Max decided to leave Victoria sleeping and left for the communal bathroom. Apparently, nothing could interrupt Victoria’s pristine and always well rested state of being, not alcohol, not unsettling thrillers, but Max was determined to find some payback for last night.

Max didn’t usually put a lot of effort into the way she looked, but this morning she wanted to look her best because Rachel always looked flawless. She was nervous about breakfast with Rachel and Chloe, she didn’t want to compete for her best friends’ attention over breakfast or feel awkward about not being in the know about any stories or inside jokes the two of them had developed over the years. She honestly didn’t want to befriend the person that had righted Max’s wrongs, she felt it immediately set her levels below Rachel. But Chloe means an awful lot to Max, and this was important to Chloe, so she was willing to genuinely try.

Max cleaned her teeth and splashed her face with cold water, but it did nothing for the dark circles under her eyes. _Just great_ , Max thought, she was going to have to face Rachel looking like crap.

By the time Max realised she’d gotten into the shower without taking a towel in with her, it was already too late. She did her best to shake dry before putting her pyjamas back on, the water still seeped through making them immediately transparent. She prayed there was no one in the hallway and ran back to her room, entering quickly and turning back on the door to close it hard.

“Max where the hell have you been?” A familiar voice asked her, Max turned and screamed at the sight of Chloe and Rachel sat on her bed. “And why can I see through your clothes?” Chloe continued. Max blushed and grabbed the towel hanging on her door.

“What the hell are you both doing in my room.” Max demanded.

“You didn’t lock it, so we walked in,” Chloe returned innocently. Max frowned.

“Chloe!”

“Don’t Chloe me, you’re the one that didn’t turn up for breakfast.”

“What? I said I’d meet you at 7.30.” Max asked, shaking her head at one very confusing morning.

“Yeah and it’s nearly 8.30 now.” Max looked from Chloe to Rachel expecting one of them to crack and say it was a prank. When neither of them did she picked up her phone and saw that it was indeed nearly 8.30.

“But I checked Victoria’s watch like 20 minutes ago, it wasn’t even 7 yet!”

“Victoria, what?” Chloe asked mirroring the look of confusion Max held a few moments ago.

“I told you her bed didn’t look slept in.” Rachel added. Thanks Rachel.

“No, I stayed in Victoria’s room last night, I’m sorry her watch must’ve been wrong, and I left my phone in here, I wasn’t blowing you off.”

“You slept in Victoria’s bed last night?” Chloe asked, Max could’ve sworn she detected a hint of jealousy.

“No, just her floor because I was scared of the shadows in my room.” This answer didn’t do much to dissipate the confusion in the room. “Look can we just go to breakfast, do you two still have time?”

“I do,” Rachel said.

“Yeah, I’m off today, I thought you had an early lecture?” Chloe asked.

“Just a tutorial, I’ll get Kate to tick my name on the register.” Max replied.

“In that case, why don’t we go somewhere off campus, make a day of it?” Rachel suggested.

“Hell yeah I’m down, Max you in?”

“Umm sure sounds great.”

“Awesome let’s go.” Chloe said with her usual enthusiasm.

“Umm Chloe?” Max said.

“What?”

“I’m still wearing wet pyjamas and a towel.” Chloe and Rachel both laughed at Max’s expense.

“Come on Chloe let’s leave her to get changed. Meet us in the car park when you’re ready Max.” Rachel said, dragging Chloe to the door.

“Will do.” Max called after them.

By the time they had left Max was so cold from the wet pyjamas she needed another shower. She released the hot water onto her body and told herself the day was starting fresh from now. Max quickly changed into the first outfit she could find, blasted her hair with her dryer, grabbed her bag and made her way as quickly as she could to the car park. So much for looking her best and trying to make it look like she had her life together in front of Rachel.

 

Chloe drove them to a café on the outskirts of the city – apparently it was her and Rachel’s favourite breakfast spot. Max felt another pang of jealously at that as it occurred to her that herself and Chloe didn’t have any favourite spots anymore, at least not outside of Arcadia Bay, and the places Max had taken Chloe to in Seattle.

The café was chic yet understated, Rachel looked completely in her element, but she could hardly picture Chloe preferring it to a simple diner. The three girls took a patio table in the sun, the sky was blue and the air was just warm enough for it to be pleasant. And Max had to admit, it was very pleasant, and her approval grew at the variety on the menu.

Max ordered the smashed avo and an iced mocha, Rachel went for the acai tropical bowl and a kombucha, and Chloe asked for the bacon waffles and a cappuccino. The waiter left and Max leaned into the table in a much better mood now food was on its way and her face was soaking in sun, she was even ready to get to know Rachel. However, a few moments passed, and no one had spoken, a few more passed and then a few more. Chloe was looking down at the table twiddling with her thumbs, while Rachel was looking up perhaps searching for something to say. If it is what she was doing, she seemed to be failing.

“So Rachel, Chloe tells me you want to be an actress?” Max attempted, both Chloe and Max gave her a look of relief.

“Yes,” Rachel said, a little too eagerly, “and Chloe tells me that you want to be a photographer?”

“Yes, yes I do.” And just like that they were back to square one. Chloe then attempted to kill the silence by telling the story of when the three of them met during fresher’s week. Only it wasn’t a long story and Chloe didn’t have any others to tell that would include all three of them. It seemed it was Rachel’s turn to keep the conversation going.

“Who was that guy that was harassing you?” Rachel asked.

“His name was Warren, I only met him that day, but he kept bothering me, he’s a bit of a creep to be honest. I haven’t seen him since Chloe beat him up.”

“Better not or I’ll finish the job,” Chloe said.

“Before Warren turned up, you two were standing over a fire, what on earth were you doing?”

“Chloe got hired at the campus coffee shop earlier that day, we were burning our old work uniforms from Two Whales diner.” Rachel explained.

“You two worked there? But you loved that place Chloe.”

“Yeah, the diner is great, my mum on the other hand… well also great, but our relationship has been pretty rocky the last few years. She wasn’t exactly supportive of me moving to LA with Rachel, I think she expected me to fail and come crawling back. Burning the uniforms was a fuck you to Arcadia Bay, and a celebration that we made it out.” Max wanted to know more about why Chloe’s relationship with her mum had been so strained, but decided it was a conversation best to have alone.

“Still if campus security had seen you, you both would’ve been in heaps of trouble.”

“Now doesn’t that sound exactly like what I said when you came up with the idea.” Rachel said.

“Please they were occupied by fresher events, the fire was contained, and it was dark. We could’ve run at the first sign of security and they never would’ve known it was us.” Chloe defended.

Not long after Chloe had finished talking, the food arrived. The three of them felt much more at ease now and conversation flowed more naturally, and Max could tell this made Chloe happy. Max made a note of the café, and of Rachel’s order which Max was practically drooling over, and her drink which intrigued her. Rachel saw Max glance at the kombucha and offered her a sip, Max accepted the offer and grimaced as it hit her taste buds.

“Chloe didn’t like it either,” she said and laughed.

They finished their breakfast and made their way back to Chloe’s truck. Rachel suggested they go back to their apartment for a while, but Max needed to head back to her dorm and make up for yet another missed lecture.

“Next time then?” Rachel asked.

“Next time.” Max replied, and to her surprise, she meant it.

 

 

The weekend arrived, and it couldn’t have come sooner for Max. She had managed to get through the rest of the week without skipping any more lectures, but she still felt behind. Max had always worked hard through school, skipping out on lectures and falling behind was out of character for her, but it was also a hard habit to drop. Kate had been kind enough to share her notes on the lecture Max had slept through, and as a thank you (and an excuse to see Chloe) Max was treating Kate to cake and coffee. The coffee shop was busier today, then again, most places are on a Saturday morning. Max watched Chloe from her spot in the line, she was rushing and looked a little stressed. Max thought it was cute, and like a slight reversal had happened between her and Chloe. Chloe had stepped up, gotten serious and was working hard – rent and bills can bring that out in a person, while Max was just starting to relax and become a little more carefree.

“Hey Chloe, two lemon cheesecakes, a mocha and a tea please.” Max said as she reached the front of the queue.

“Coming right up, who’s your friend?” Chloe asked.

“Chloe meet Kate, Kate meet Chloe. Chloe and I are childhood friends, and Kate and I are both photography majors, we met in class.” Chloe and Kate both exchanged a nod and a smile while Max paid for the food and drinks.

“No table service today I’m afraid, lets catch up later though.”

“Definitely, thanks Chloe,” Max and Kate moved around the corner and waited for their cake and drinks. Max’s saw that her usual window table was occupied, they would have to settle for a less secluded spot. The room was full of discord and Max could tell it was making Kate uncomfortable. Max quickly asked to have their order to go. “Why don’t we have these in your dorm instead, you still haven’t shown me around?” Kate gave a small smile.

“Okay Max.”

 

Kate’s room was plain, her bed sheets were a simple grey, her shelves lacked mementos and the whole room was undecorated. The wall next to her bed, however, was filled with pictures of what looked like her family and her home. There were photos of time at church, Max hadn’t even known that Kate was religious, she felt guilty that she’d never really asked. A picture of Max pushing a younger girl on a swing caught Max's eye, Max couldn’t recall seeing Kate smile as freely as she was in that photo. She picked what looked to be a family vacation photo off Kate’s wall and showed it to her.

“This is your family?” Max asked. Kate nodded.

“My father, mother and my two sisters.”

“You were on holiday in this?”.

“Yes. My family saved up for years so we could all go abroad together. We spent a week in the south of France, it rained most of the trip, but it was perfect.” Kate smiled at the memories. “That photo was taken on the only day we could get to the beach, Lynn was scared of the sand, so my dad had to carry her until we put down a towel.”

“You miss them,” Max stated sympathetically, and Kate nodded once again.

“I didn’t want to leave the state for university, I’d never spent more than 2 nights away from my family. But they wanted me to see more than the small town we lived in and I guess so did I.”

“You guess? You’re still not sure?” Max asked, causing Kate to shrug.

“I don’t know. Everywhere you go things are mostly the same, they all have the same stores the same types of people. I guess I just wondered if I could be different in a new place, but I’m not.”

“You shouldn’t want to be different Kate; you are perfect the way you are.” Kate smiled.

“Thank you Max, if nothing else, I’m glad I came here and I met you.”


	11. Chapter 11

October ended and November was halfway through. As the weeks went by Max started to work out a routine that complemented her work life and her Chloe life, though she’d be lying if she said she was attending all her lectures. Max and Victoria’s movie nights had become more frequent – though only on a probationary period and would be terminated if Victoria made Max watch another movie that would leave her with nightmares. Max did get her own back on Victoria though by making her sit through _The Room,_ a movie so terrible they made a movie about how terrible it is (which they also watched together).  She and Kate were also meeting up for tea and coffee periodically twice a week, Kate had seemed much happier in the recent weeks, and was opening up to Max more and more each time they hung out. After mass persuasion she even let Max stay and listen as Kate practised playing her violin.

Chloe, on the other hand, had been distant the past week and Max knew why. Next week would mark 5 years since William’s death, and this year the anniversary fell the day before thanksgiving. Max wanted desperately to make up for the years when she hadn’t been around for the anniversary of her father’s death, and she was even jealous once again of Rachel  because she’d been there when Max hadn’t, and she continued to be there for Chloe now because they lived together. Max still hadn’t been to their apartment and she was tempted to ask Rachel for the address so she could visit Chloe. In the end though she decided against it, forcing Chloe to talk before she was ready wouldn’t end well and it wouldn’t help Chloe.

That didn’t mean that Max couldn’t make herself feel better by trying to find something that would make Chloe feel better, even if it were just for a second. Feeling a sudden sense of purpose Max went to find Victoria.

"I need your help with something."

As usual, she found Victoria sitting in the communal area looking as polished as ever, writing in her notebook with her right hand as she texted with her left. Her obsidian coffee sat in a thermos next to her. 

"Always happy to help, Maxine. Is this about Chloe?" Victoria asked, baiting Max with a playful smirk.

"Yes. How did you know?" As usual, Max found her cheeks burn red and her heart rate pick up when she spoke about Chloe with Victoria.

"It usually is with you." Victoria rolled her eyes, smiling from ear to ear. "Alright Casanova, what's the deal?" She placed both her phone and her notebook down on the table, all her attention now on Max.

Max took a deep breath, mentally debating how much to tell Victoria, if nothing else she knew Rachel and Max didn’t want it to seem like Chloe’s trauma was a topic for gossip. In the end, Max decided she could trust Victoria. With a lump in her throat Max explained how Chloe’s childhood, her perfect family and even her perception of the world were tragically destroyed five years ago.

Victoria was empathetic and she didn’t interrupt or try and minimise Chloe’s grief by comparing it to a sad story of her own as so many people had done to Chloe at the time. She just listened.

Max even told Victoria how she’d been there with Chloe when William walked out the door for the final time. She told her how happy they’d been that morning and how Max had wished she’d known that it was the last time they’d feel that sense of childish innocence so that she could have held onto it just a little tighter at the time, so that she could have held onto Chloe just a little bit tighter and for the last time.

She still remembered that morning with perfect accuracy, the way William walked out the front door with a final wave, the way he was in such a rush to meet Joyce, the way Joyce walked in later a foot shorter from grief.

_"Max, you'll be here too right?"_

_"Of course, she's never leaving me!"_

_"That makes all of us!"_

"Three days after it happened, I left her. I moved to Seattle when she needed me most." _Abandoned her_ felt more like the truth, but she couldn't convince herself to say it. "And now that we're finally connected again, I just was to find something to give to her that will show her that I’m here for her, always. Even though I wasn’t before." She was about to say something else when Victoria took her hand, soft and slender fingers interlocking with hers.

"You're not a bad person Max. You're actually pretty fucking cool. And anyone can see from the way you and Chloe look at each other that the connection you two have shared over your lifetime is special, regardless of where you spent the last five years." For a moment they locked eyes.

 “Chloe is special, she deserves all the joy in this world, she didn’t deserve to have it taken away too young.”

“Then let’s go find something special for her.” Victoria said, still holding Max’s hand in her own to drag her towards the exit.

Max and Victoria rode the bus into the city. They bumped into Dana and her boyfriend in the line who were headed into town for lunch. Dana extended an offer to Victoria and herself, and while Max fumbled on her words trying to explain that they were busy without revealing why, Victoria swooped with the perfect smooth lie that Max was accompanying her to the GP.

For the remainder of the bus journey Max let Victoria converse with Dana while she sat back and enjoyed the ride in peace with her thoughts. The four of them sitting in the front four seats of the top deck on the bus, right in front of the large window. Max liked sitting here so she could appreciate the view, but as she was looking out on that grey November morning it occurred to her how little of the city she had seen outside of this bus route. Given that she lived on campus, had her groceries delivered, and that the campus had every convenience building/item she could need right down to a dentist, Max had found little reason to explore outside of the few familiar shops in town.

Max decided that she would research all the tourist attractions and trails she could easily get to and make a plan to tick at least one off the least a week with Chloe. As her thoughts returned to Chloe, Max was once again stuck on what to get for her. Max only wanted to provide Chloe with a small token that showed she cared, and she was there, it was a sensitive event, and so a loud statement in her gift would be inappropriate. It then occurred to Max whether Kate would’ve been a better choice to help Max find something intricate, she pushed this thought aside quickly. Victoria made bold statements everyday in what she wore, and she kept her social media constantly updated to give the impression of a lavish lifestyle. But Max knew Victoria on a more complex level. In a way Max thought she knew Victoria better than most of the other people in her life for the simple reason that Max was nothing like them, and for some reason, they had still clicked as friends.

“Come on Max, this is our stop.” Max followed Victoria off the bus and into the busy city streets. “Ok Max let’s shop.”

“I have no idea where to start.” Max admitted.

“That’s fine Max, we’ll go into every store in this city if we have to, eventually you’ll find something that feels right.” Victoria replied. “I don’t suppose you might think of something in that jewellery store?” Victoria asked, with a hint of sarcasm, already knowing the answer.

“It really doesn’t scream Chloe,” Max said, guilt in her voice. Victoria and Max both knew that this shopping trip was most likely not going to be Victoria’s scene.

The first place they went into was a clothing store that specialised in all things punk. They didn’t stay here long, partly because Max was certain Chloe had already purchased every item of clothing in the establishment, and also because the place honestly scared her a little bit. The store was dark and smelled of sweat and based on every other customer, it wasn’t a place to enter if you weren’t already dressed in similar attire, covered in piercings or tattoos, or had facial hair down to your belly button. Victoria in particular was very vibrant, and drew a lot of attention that was unwanted by Max.

“Maybe you should just get her a tattoo voucher,” Victoria said as they were leaving. “Better yet, book yourselves in for matching tattoos.” Max’s death glare was the only response Victoria needed.

Midday crept up on them, but Max still hadn't found the right thing. The weather was threatening to turn, and Max hadn't thought to bring a coat, so they took refuge in a local café. The menu was mostly burgers and pasta, neither of which appealed to Max. Victoria ordered the salad, then shoved it aside and ordered a bowl of pasta when she saw how small it was.

Obviously, they ordered coffee.

Max spent most of lunch staring at one online gift idea list after another, chewing her own lip. Every idea was too extravagant or too cheap, too impersonal or too sentimental. She had no idea what her budget should even be. Victoria seemed happy sharing glances with the tall, blonde waitress that brought their coffee. By the time it brightened up outside she had finished her third coffee.

"So… have you admitted undying love yet?"

Max choked on her coffee. When she looked up at Victoria the smug grin on her face was enough to set her cheeks aflame.

"No, she's my friend Victoria. We're friends." It was the obvious response, and one she was used to giving to Victoria. But saying it made her stomach drop in a way she wasn't used to feeling.

"Uh huh, just friends. Is that why you bring her up in every conversation?" 

"She's my best friend, why do you keep suggesting she’s anything else?" Victoria rolled her eyes at that, so hard they threatened to roll out of her skull and land on her plate.

"Maxine, you blush every time somebody else mentions her. You twirl your hair when you talk to her, you took her to Seattle for a day trip, even I don’t do that on a first date. How are you not able to admit it?" 

Max grabbed her coffee with both hands, unsure what else to do with them.

She sighed.

"Why are you so sure?" Max asked

"Aside from all the obvious that I mentioned?" Victoria smiled, that warm Hollywood smile that could win an Oscar. "You've never even looked at me the way you look at her, and I'm a damn snack."

Max giggled at that, and soon they were both laughing. The tables around looked over, but for once Max didn't shy away from it. Being the centre of attention with Victoria felt easy, and safe. 

"Weather's improved, should we get going?" Victoria shook her head.

"One more coffee. I need an excuse to get that waitress' number."

“What happened to the professor?”

“They aren’t going anywhere.”

Max and Victoria tried a few home improvement stores, hoping to find a cute house decoration Chloe could put in her room. The fact that Max wasn’t sure if Chloe even had a room, or if the one bedroom in her apartment belonged to Rachel, or if they shared it, made this idea redundant even if they had found something Chloe might’ve liked.

Max considered purchasing a piece of art from the market in the town, but it was all too mainstream for Chloe, apparently a perfect idea for Victoria though Max realised as she caught onto her not so subtle hints. Max then considered getting Chloe a record player since she loved music, but again she wasn’t sure if she already owned one, and they were more expensive than she realised – not quite the small gift she originally had in mind.

Max was almost ready to consider the matching tattoos idea when Victoria suggested they try the arts and craft store she had bought Max’s journal in. Max was sceptical at first, but she was out of ideas of her own, so she let Victoria lead the way.

When they arrived, Max was glad she had. As soon as she walked inside she saw it, the perfect gift that Chloe would accept with a smile.

It was already dark by the time Max and Victoria made it back to campus, the sun was setting early now but Max didn’t mind. She liked the way the building lights glowed when they were surrounded by a black canvas, and how the usually busy landscape was empty and peaceful under the moonlight. Max enjoyed the solitude. She liked that her life had become more social, but it left her craving more time alone with only the company of her own thoughts.

Despite being grateful to Victoria for spending the day with her, Max found herself craving this peace now, and so she sighed with relief as she finally made it back to her bedroom door desperate to be alone in her own four walls. Only once she’d closed her door behind her, she realised that she wasn’t alone, and somehow this was better.

“Chloe, how long have you been here?” Max asked, joining her blue paragon who had somehow found her way to Max’s bed, holding, but not reading, the book that Max had last been reading in the coffee shop.

“Dude you never lock your door,” her words were playful, but her voice couldn’t enforce them.

“Have you been enjoying Virginia Woolf in my absence?”

“I tried to start it, but the print was too small.” Max couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend. “Sorry to invade your space like this, I just-” Chloe paused. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

“You can ask me anything Chloe.”

“Well I was more wondering… if you would come back to Arcadia Bay with me next week for… for-”

“You don’t have to say it Chloe,” Max interrupted. “Of course, I’ll come with you, I’d love to.” Chloe looked up and smiled then.

“Road trip it is. You, me, Albert and about eight hundred miles.”

“Not quite. You forgot about blue,” Max said as she pulled out the bluebird, she had purchased earlier that day for Chloe. Chloe accepted it with a grin just as Max had hoped.

“You called it Blue? You’re such a dork Max Caulfield.”

“Would you have me any other way?” Max asked.

“Definitely not. So, the albatross I get, luck in life and sin in death, but what does this one mean?”

“Well the bluebird typically symbolises joy or happiness, and I thought it was only right to give one to you since I already have one.” Max said looking straight into Chloe’s eyes. Chloe’s laughter filled the room.

“That has got to be the corniest shit you have ever said, and I love it.”

Chloe shuffled and extended herself then, so that she was laying horizontal on Max’s bed staring at the ceiling. Max mimicked Chloe’s movements, and despite it only being early afternoon, she fell asleep to the sensation of Chloe’s blue hair tickling her cheek.


	12. Chapter 12

Max had begged Chloe to let her buy them flights to Oregon, but Chloe had insisted on taking her truck. “I gotta be free when I get there Max, my truck is my freedom.” The road to Arcadia Bay was a long one. Thirteen hours long to be exact, and Chloe planned on driving all through the night so that they would arrive in Arcadia Bay at lunchtime on Tuesday morning. Max was only going to miss her one Wednesday lecture since Thursday and Friday were public holidays and her Tuesday lectures were finished. Max didn’t mind, Wednesday was her ‘introduction to business unit’ and if Max had any interest in business, she would have chosen it as her major.

Max spent Monday evening completing her online quizzes, and trying to understand multiple regression, so that Chloe would have her undivided attention over the next few days. Max was just about losing the will to live when Chloe messaged her to say she was in the car park. Max had never been more excited at the prospect of a thirteen-hour drive, though it was also the first time Max had had to consider a thirteen-hour drive. Grabbing her rucksack, camera and her journal, Max made her way to Chloe.

“Ready to hit the angry road Mad Max?” Chloe chirped, clearly proud of her ridiculous and inaccurate pun.

“It’s fury road. And totally, if your seats become horizontal and equipped with blankets.” Max replied, already yawning.

“You can’t be a sleepy Max already, it’s only 11. Come on, let’s go hit a gas station for snacks and energy drinks.”

“I just hope you don’t get sleepy; I will reiterate that this is a stupid plan, we should fly to Oregon, or in the very least drive when you are well rested.”

“The only thing sending me to sleep is your attitude, where’s your sense of adventure Max?” Chloe teased.

“Same place as my desire to live.” Chloe’s face turned serious then.

“Don’t worry Max. I slept all day, if there’s one thing I am it’s a safe driver.” Max’s face washed with guilt at her insensitivity, she nodded and joined Chloe in the truck. “Now let’s fill our bodies with copious amounts of sugar.”

“Cheers to that,” Max said trying to echo Chloe’s enthusiasm.

Chloe and Max did just as Chloe had said – they filled their bodies with copious amounts of sugar, and it left them both giddy for the first few hours of the journey. Chloe even bribed Max to stay awake by putting her in charge of the speaker. For the first few hours it was a 2000s throwback singing party, featuring songs like ‘sk8er boi’, ‘girlfriend’ and ‘Stacey’s mum’ making Max and Chloe reminisce of the times they would sing those songs in Chloe’s room. Something changed between three and four am though as Max came down from her sugar high and the true level of her fatigue hit her. Chloe exited the highway for a toilet break, as she parked up, she looked over at Max who was quietly snoring against the door frame.

“Sleep tight Maximus.” Chloe whispered to her best friend before pulling a blanket off the back seat and laying it over Max’s resting body.

It was a few hours later when Max awoke to Chloe’s cold fingers gently slapping her cheek.

“Max wake up.” Max took a second to adjust to her surroundings and remember why she had fallen asleep in a position that was surely unhealthy for her neck. “Come on Caulfield, I’m parked up and the sun is rising.” Still confused, Max felt Chloe carefully drag her out of the truck and helped her stand until she was self-supporting in the crisp air.

When Max finally looked around and took in the landscape around her, she saw that Chloe had driven them to a vantage point with the view of a valley glowing under a luminous orange sky that cracked through the cloud bank. The early morning chill provided a layer of fog, that made Max shudder but couldn’t mask the beauty before her. Between two hills that made Max want to join Julia Andrews singing as she danced through them, was a small body of fire that Max wished she could drown in.

It was so serene that Max had to capture it forever. She took a step back then so that Chloe, still stood by her truck, was the focus of the shot. Max took the picture and watched as it came out, and as she looked as it, she wasn’t sure if the sunrise was making Chloe shine, or if it was Chloe making everything around her glow – even her rusty truck.

Max and Chloe were silent for a while, and Max turned her focus to her journal. She added the shots she’d taken today, placing them next to a photo of Victoria sticking her tongue out at Max that had been taken at their last movie night. Max didn’t notice Chloe peering over at her lap. “Stalker much, you got a lot of shots of me there Caulfield, am I your muse?” Max rolled her eyes at Chloe.

“Eyes on the road Price.” Max said retaking control of the speaker and putting on _Wildfire_ by _Seafret_ , deeming it more appropriate for the early morning. To her surprise, Chloe sang along.

“Didn’t figure this was your style,” Max stated.

“Because I dyed my hair blue and wear band shirts you assumed that’s all I listen to, you’re so closed-minded Max.” Chloe replied, pulling the beanie off her head and playfully smacking Max with it.

“Whatever, it’s way too early for jokes.”

Despite Max’s constant requests, it was another hour or two before Chloe stopped again for coffee. By now they were only about an hour away from Arcadia Bay. Max would be relieved if she could focus on anything other than how numb her buttocks was from Chloe’s passenger seat.

They had made it this far in good time, so Max and Chloe decided to drink their coffees inside the service station for a change of pace. Max ordered a mocha for herself, a cappuccino for Chloe and some much-needed pastries for both of them, before joining Chloe at the table she had secured. After over ten hours in Chloe’s truck, Max was both enjoying using her legs again and noticing they felt like neglected and rusted gears in desperate need of oil.

“So now that we are nearly there, I suppose I should tell you about the step douche.” Chloe said as Max sat down.

“The step what now?”

Chloe told Max the story of David Madsen, a paranoid ex-military man who walked into The Two Whales one day and made it his new mission to help close Joyce’s wounds as Chloe’s grew and bled. Chloe recounted watching her mum take his name and feeling the last presence of her dad fade from her childhood home. Chloe became a rebellious teen and in true military fashion, David took on aggressive methods to straighten her out. In the end David was what drew Chloe out of her house, and the ever-growing wedge between Chloe and Joyce’s relationship seemed to grow too big for the damage to be repaired. Chloe had found surveillance throughout her home, and it all belonged to David, when Joyce stood by David in spite of his creepy invasion of trust and privacy, Chloe decided that she had to be the one to leave. Rachel had offered to take Chloe in, and she spent a few months with the Amber family before her and Rachel finally made their move to LA.

“The last thing my mum said to me when I went back to the house for my shit was that I was breaking her heart. But she broke mine every time she chose David over me.” Max didn’t know how to respond, so she simply placed her hand over Chloe’s icy fingers as a sign of solidarity. “That’s why we drove Max, I need to be free to bounce at the first sign of David’s shit.”

“Why didn’t you ask Rachel to come back with you, you wouldn’t have had to go back there at all?” Max asked.

“Rachel is always supportive around this time of year, but she didn’t know William. You’re in so many of my favourite memories of him, when you left me, I hated thinking about the times when we were happy, they hurt too much. But now that you’re back I want us to remember, together.” Max squeezed Chloe’s hand and looked into Chloe’s eyes.

“We’re Max and Chloe remember? We’re always together, even when we’re not.”

 

Judging by Chloe’s grumbling stomach, it was lunchtime when they finally made it to Arcadia Bay,

“Wow, it’s so surreal being back here after all this time.” Max said.

“Cannot compute, need food and sleep,” Chloe replied, with a poor imitation of a robot voice. “Mum’s probably driving, best stop by the diner, I didn’t tell her I was coming, and I left my house keys behind when I left.”

The diner was just as Max remembered it. From the red retro booths to the curvature in the ceiling and the white square and diamond tile pattern, nothing had changed, and Max was glad. A small and aging woman who looked tired from the cards life had thrown, and a ghost of the suburban working wife and mother Max had known was standing only a few feet from Max and Chloe, pouring coffee for her customers. The women looked up as the bell above the door rang, and now instead of looking ghostly, she looked as though she was looking at one. Two of them in fact. She dropped the coffee jug she had been holding, and the brown substance made splash marks that contrasted with the white tiling and would surely leave a stain. Joyce’s shaking hand, once occupied with purpose for her customers, now shaking, and seemingly unsure if it should be on her mouth in shock or pointing at the girls who were still standing by the door.

“Hi mum.” Chloe said. Joyce moved cautiously in Chloe’s direction.

“Chloe. You came back. And Max.” she reached out her arms to touch one of Chloe’s and Max’s. “You’re both together. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“It’s good to see you again Joyce.” Max said, Joyce looked at her briefly processing that she had just spoken, before returning her gaze to her estranged daughter.

“It’s been six months Chloe. Not so much as a text to let us know you were safe,” Max noticed Chloe flinch as Joyce used the term ‘us’. “I had hoped you’d call this week, but this is better, David said you’d come, he was right.” Chloe’s face looked strained, Max could tell she was debating replying with a comment that would surely only cause more hurt, when she slumped her shoulders and pulled her mum in for a hug instead, Max was relieved. Max understood why Chloe felt she had to leave, but there was nothing Joyce loved more than her daughter, and she didn’t deserve the worry Chloe had let her live with.

“Of course I came, I’m sorry I didn’t contact you mum, I was just so mad about everything that happened. When I stopped being mad, I just felt sad, but I didn’t know what to say to you.” Joyce cried into Chloe’s shoulder, who now towered over her mother. Eventually Joyce signalled to Max to join them in their hug.

“Oh, it really is good to see you too back together, you must catch me up on how you two reconnected. For now, go grab a seat both of you, I’ll bring you over enough food to make you sick, you look like you’ve been travelling for days, smell like it too. But Chloe… when you leave, please tell me where you’re going.” Chloe awkwardly nodded, feeling uncomfortable by an emotional and public reunion.

True to her word, Joyce brought over enough food to make them sick, and the sight of it made Max happier than she knew she could be. Apparently not as happy as it made Chloe though, who somehow shovelled in three times the amount Max could manage. When they were done eating Chloe went to talk to Joyce some more, and grab her house keys. Both of them were on the verge of falling asleep in their booth with their eyes still open.

Max and Chloe exited the diner and made their way back to Chloe’s childhood home.


	13. Chapter 13

Chloe remained in what must’ve been a peaceful sleep state when Max awoke from a nap of her own, her expression was tranquil reminding Max of an untouched lake. Or at least Max thought she was relaxed until Chloe randomly yelled “abducens” loud enough to give Max a fright, before smacking her lips together twice and returning to whatever strange dream about cranial nerves Chloe must have been having. In her delirious sleep-deprived state, Max hadn’t looked around Chloe’s room before the two of them crashed on one of the few things that seemed to have remained the same, but she was looking now, and it made her sad somehow. It was far from the room Max and Chloe had sang Avril Lavigne together as loud as their lungs would allow. It was now a chaotic ensemble of every phase Chloe had been through in the last 5 years that Max had missed out on. However, as she focused on a poster of some punk rock band called ‘Firewalk’ that had been stuck side by side of Simba from _The Lion King_ Max decided it was a charming disarray.

Stretching herself awake, Max became very aware of the foulness of her own breath. Not wanting to disturb Chloe, Max grabbed her rucksack and crept out of Chloe’s room, before making her way to the bathroom in the house she knew the layout of as well as her own.

 

It was early evening when Chloe finally awoke. Joyce arrived home an hour before, giving her and Max a chance to catch up. Max told her about her time in Seattle, the school she’d attended and the people she’d met. She explained how Chloe and herself had reconnected in the last couple of months after finding themselves reunited in LA. Joyce commented on how it had to be fate that they were to meet again, and Max couldn’t disagree. Joyce was just as kind to Max as she’d always been and was treating her like family even though it had been 5 years since they’d last spoken. It almost felt to Max as though their lives had been paused and now, they were ready to continue where they’d left off. Almost.

Where there were once framed photographs of Chloe, Joyce and William, in their place now was a new figure. The new man, who Max assumed to be David, didn’t have the kind face that William wore so naturally, but she had to admit, Joyce looked happy in the memories they’d framed.

Max was nervous to meet David after the stories she’d been told by Chloe, so she excused herself when David was expected to arrive home. Max made her way back to Chloe’s room, and sure enough her friend was awake. Max wondered how long Chloe had been up, and if she was delaying the conversation she would have to have with Joyce. As Max got closer to Chloe, she could see that Chloe had been crying, and Max felt Chloe’s pain as though it were her own. Chloe hated appearing vulnerable in front of others, but she couldn’t seem to make herself hide from Max, instead she looked her right in the eyes and let her see.

Without speaking, Max joined Chloe on the bed, and pulled Chloe’s head onto her lap and soothingly stroked her hair. They remained like this until they each heard the front door open and close, and they both knew that David was home. Chloe sat up then, and finally spoke.

“Max will you come visit my dad with me?”

“Of course I will Chloe, you want to go now?” Chloe nodded.

“I want it to be just you and me, we’ll go see him again tomorrow with my mum.”

 

Something Max had loved about growing up in Arcadia Bay is that you could always see the stars on a clear evening. Max and Chloe had spent many evenings camping in Chloe’s back garden, wrapped up in a blanket, stargazing. Chloe would point at the sky and say “look it’s Hercules” even though neither one of them knew what it looked like. Eventually William would come out to join them, and each time they camped in Chloe’s garden he would point out the same constellations with the same enthusiasm he’d had the very first time. Max and Chloe were terrible students, easily distractible and they would never remember what William had shown them, which is why he was always pointing out the same constellations.

This was the memory that came to Max now, as they stood over William’s grave under the very same constellations, and it was the one she shared with Chloe as she held her hand. Chloe used her free hand to wipe away her escaped tears, as she smiled at their past.

“I remembered everything he showed us. I just liked having him there with us.”

“Will you show us both now?” Max asked. Chloe nodded, and Max left her with William while she went back to the truck for a blanket they could lay on. It was too late and too cold for the clothes they were both wearing, but it was somehow still perfect as Max lay next to Chloe, and Chloe lay next to William.

Chloe pointed out Orion the Greek hunter, handsome son of Poseidon whose hamartia was his boastful nature, he claimed he could rid Earth of all animals angering Gaia the Earth Goddess who sent a scorpion that stung and killed him. She then pointed out Perseus, also named after a Greek hero. Using a helmet that granted him invisibility and the reflection of a golden shield, Perseus beheaded the Gorgon Medusa, which he later used to turn Polydectes to stone. Finally, Chloe pointed out Andromeda, the princess Perseus saved who is now beside him in the stars.

For a while after that they lay in silence, tracing Orion, Perseus and Andromeda with their fingers, until Chloe spoke again.

“For a long time, I was so angry at him for leaving me, and a part of me even blamed my mum for having him come meet her that day. I was in a bad place for so long, I would get high, come here and yell at dad for dying when I still needed him. It’s nice to be here with you now, celebrating the time I had with him instead of crying about the time that was taken.”

“I wish I’d been there for you then, Chloe.” Max said.

“You’re here now, now is all that matters.” Chloe replied

 

They stayed with William a while longer, each sharing their favourite memories with him. But as Max shivered, Chloe suggested they head back to her home.

“Are you sure? We can stay a while longer if you want.” Max interjected.

“You’re cold Max, come on it’ll be warmer in the truck.” Chloe put her arm around Max, warming her and leading her back to the truck, and Max found herself relaxing into Chloe’s touch.

 

 

They made their escape through the window earlier that afternoon to avoid David, but Chloe was sure they’d been heard driving away. She didn’t want to worry her mum more than she already had, so despite it being very out of character for her, she came home through the front door.

The house was still lit up when they walked through. Max and Chloe cautiously made their way to the living room. Joyce was asleep on the sofa, but David was sat up, watching them enter, his face seemed somehow stricken with remorse and anger at the same time.

“Your mum was worried when you left. It’s good to see you Chloe, you look good.”

“What does that even mean?” Chloe asked, rejecting a compliment from David. Max hugged the wall, wishing she could excuse herself from what was none of her business but also not wanting anyone to acknowledge she was there.

“I don’t want to fight Chloe, I just want to talk.” David paused, and Max didn’t doubt the stories Chloe had told her of him, but the man before her now didn’t seem so ill-natured. He turned his gaze to her then. “You must be Max.”

“Yes, umm sir?” Max stuttered, and David almost smiled, while Chloe continued to stare daggers.

“Call me David. Joyce has told me all about you, and what you mean to Chloe.” He turned back to Chloe as she scoffed at the mention of her name. “I mean it Chloe, it’s good to see you, you never should have left the way you did.”

“You’re the reason I did.”

“I know there’s a lot you blame me for, and I know I had my faults, but I was always only looking out for you, and you never made it easy.”

“Whatever you need to believe David. I’m going to bed, you can tell mum I’m fine and I said goodnight. Come on Max.” Chloe turned back and headed for the stairs, Max moved to follow her.

“Max wait a second,” David called after her. “I hope you’ll be good for her. Chloe needs someone looking out for her, keeping her on the right path, I’m not sure Rachel was ever that.”

“I will always look out for Chloe. But she doesn’t need me to David, she’s always been on the right path.” David considered this for a second.

“Then I’m glad she has you.” Max bid him goodnight before leaving to find Chloe.

 

Changed and fresh breathed, Max and Chloe met under the duvet fortress in Chloe’s now darkened room, using their phones as torches in place of actual torches, as they had done as kids. Max noted how different it felt now to be this close to Chloe, compared to when they were younger. Max felt more nervous now, at the intimacy, and her heart fluttered at the sensation of Chloe’s mint breath on her face. Max swallowed.

“Thank you for today Max, it was perfect.” Chloe whispered under the sheets.

“I’m glad, Chloe.”

“These past couple of months have been a whirlwind, huh?”

“They have. Being with you again has felt amazing. Thank you for giving me another chance Chloe, I don’t think I could bear seeing you on campus all the time knowing you hated me.”

“I could never really hate you Max, I was angry sure, but mostly because you mean so much to me that I couldn’t hate you even when I wanted to.” Max smiled at Chloe’s words, but said nothing, not trusting her voice. “It feels like fate doesn’t it? To have found each other after all this time. To be friends again.” Chloe searched Max’s eyes for a sign of reciprocation, but Max couldn’t meet Chloe’s gaze.

“Chloe, I think-” Max tried, but her heart was beating with such a ferocity that made it difficult to think and speak, and the growing heat under Chloe’s covers was making it difficult to breath.

“What is it Max?” Chloe asked, placing a hand on Max’s cheek.

“I think it feels like more than that to me.” Max managed to whisper, feeling her face flush with blood as she did.

“More than what? More than fate?”

“No Chloe. More than friends.” A moment of silence that felt painfully everlasting passed, and Max felt like her world was about to come crashing down around her. She was barely aware of what she had just said, only now understanding how much she meant it, and how much she needed Chloe to mean it too. Her prayers were answered when she felt Chloe’s soft lips lay a careful pressure on her own. Breathing suddenly didn’t seem so important. At first it was awkward, Max tried to return the kiss, but she couldn’t quite get it right. By the third kiss Max had relaxed and they could better anticipate the other’s movements, helping their lips synchronise.

“That’s really fucking good to hear Max.” Chloe said, now unable to keep her voice to a whisper, and her face filling with a grin that made Max’s heart flutter once again.


	14. Chapter 14

Max and Chloe giggled through the night, neither one wanting to sleep the time away, both girls shaking with adrenaline as they stared into the enlarged pupil of the other. While they were in their home town, Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe felt like they were hidden from reality in their own personal cocoon (currently taking the more literal form of a duvet fort) – a feature of the town Chloe had once hated, but now she was here with Max as their friendship was entering unknown territory, she never wanted to leave.

They each took turns tracing the other’s body, feeling every inch of skin with new desire, but careful as they did; neither sure where they could touch and where was too much. Max focused on running her fingers along Chloe’s sharp cheekbones and jawline, while Chloe softly caressed Max’s arms. They each left the other yearning for and yet nervous of what more entailed.

Max was certain that she was the one with the least experience, not to say she had no experience at all, but she had never been with a woman, and from what Victoria had said about Rachel, that wasn’t the case for Chloe. Despite this, it was Chloe who seemed more nervous about what Max and Chloe had started on that November night in their hometown.

“Are you okay?” Max whispered. Chloe nodded.

“I just, I think I’ve wanted this ever since I was old enough to understand it. I don’t want to fuck it up.” Max placed her hand back on Chloe’s cheeks and kissed her, gently and reassuringly.

“Neither do I.” Max replied. “Though I wouldn’t mind hearing about when you became old enough to know you wanted this.” Chloe playfully shoved Max’s shoulder, but she answered anyway.

“I guess it was a few years ago, I thought about you all the time, I would write to you in my journal. No Max you cannot read it,” Chloe said in anticipation of Max’s interest. “One day I stopped to consider why I couldn’t let you go, and everything just became clear.” Max tried to give Chloe a smile, but her cheeks ached too much from an evening of joy. Instead she yawned, and Chloe was the one to smile. “Get some sleep Max.”

“I wanna stay awake with you, besides it’s only… what time is it?” Chloe checked her watch.

“It is well past your bedtime miss Caulfield.” Max scoffed and grabbed Chloe’s watch to check for herself. It was well past two, and officially the anniversary of William’s death. The change of expression on Chloe’s face told Max she had also realised this. Max gave her an empathetic smile. “It’s ok Max, as long as you’re here it’s ok.”

“Good, because I’m not going anywhere Chloe. Partly because I’m too tired to leave, but mostly because I don’t want to.” Max snuggled in closer to Chloe and fell asleep to the sound of her heartbeat.

 

Max’s sleep was deep and fulfilling, it took her a moment to recall the events of last night but when she did, she felt like an excited schoolgirl with an uncontainable crush. It briefly dawned on her that maybe Chloe had changed her mind in the night, that she hadn’t meant the things she said, but as she raised her head to see Chloe looking down at her smiling, these fears vanished.

“Hey you,” Chloe said.

“Hey you,” Max replied

“You’ve developed a snore over the last five years miss Caulfield.” Chloe teased. Max played along, lightly throwing a pillow at Chloe, before denying the claim. “Chill, I surrender. Besides, it’s cute.” Chloe said, planting a quick kiss on Max’s cheek. “Come on I smell pancakes.”

 

Dazed and blushing, Max followed Chloe downstairs where Joyce was indeed frying off pancakes, and David was sat at the dining table with a newspaper and a glass of milk.

“Morning girls, I thought I’d make you a nice breakfast, who knows what you two eat when you’re left to your own devices.” Joyce said, the joy in her voice seemed understandably forced. _Lots of pizza_ Max thought but didn’t voice.

“That’s kind Joyce, you didn’t have to.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble really, why don’t you go sit at the table I’ll bring these over in a few minutes.” Before Max could leave, Chloe handed her a glass of orange juice, her eyes and fingers lingering over Max’s just long enough that it couldn’t be perceived as innocent. Max did as she was instructed, hearing the beginning of an apology from Chloe about leaving last night as she stayed behind to talk to Joyce.

David briefly acknowledged Max’s presence at the table before returning to his paper – clearly not a social person in the mornings. Max didn’t mind, she hated making small talk with people she didn’t know, and she didn’t want to become overly friendly with someone who had caused Chloe pain. Max turned her head and noticed the poorly covered wine stain she and Chloe had made when they were younger and replayed the memory with fondness in her head.

True to her word, Joyce came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a stack of pancakes and a Chloe Price.

“Here we go, eat up everyone.” For a moment they all sat there in silence, no one wanting to acknowledge the William sized elephant staring at them from one of the remaining vacant chairs. Eventually Joyce spoke up. “I thought we could go and pick up some fresh flowers after breakfast Chloe, and then take them to your father. You too Max of course.” Max squeezed Chloe’s hand reassuringly under the table.

“Will you be joining us David?” Chloe asked. David put his paper down and met Chloe’s daring gaze.

“No, not today, I thought you would all appreciate some space today.” David checked his watch. “Which starts now, I’ll see you all for dinner,” David said, before kissing Joyce goodbye as he left for work.

“He really is trying Chloe; he just wants the best for you.” Chloe’s only response to this was digging into her stack of pancakes.

 

A bouquet of white coronations in hand, Joyce lead the way through the cemetery, Max and Chloe silently following behind sneaking glances and accidental finger brushes. Max listened as Joyce recalled the day she met William, the day she married William, and finally the day she buried William, offering her a tissue as she finished her speech. She then listened as Chloe stepped forward and told the same stories to William’s gravestone as she had last night – more for Joyce’s benefit than her own. Joyce hugged her daughter once she had finished her speech, Chloe looked uncomfortable at first as Joyce cried into her shoulder, but eventually she relaxed into the hug accepting it.

Max then decided to say a few words. Like Chloe, much of it was a repetition of what they had spoken about last night, and largely for Joyce’s ears, to help fill her with happy memories of the man she had loved and lost. Max finished by telling Joyce that she hoped one day to bring up a child of her own surrounded by the kind of love that her and William had shared. At the sight of Chloe’s blush, Max then wondered if it was too soon to be mentioning babies in front of the person she had only just shared her first kiss with.

As the day passed, Max started to feel like she was intruding on Joyce and Chloe’s mourning, so she made an excuse around lunchtime that she wanted to have a walk around the town she hadn’t been to in years. Joyce had insisted she stay with them, but Max could tell she was appreciative about the prospect of having some time alone with Chloe.

Max decided to walk past her old home, the external structure was almost identical to Chloe’s as many of the houses in the neighbourhood were, but the inside had been vastly different when Max was growing up. More walls, a patio garden and overall less of a family feel. Still, Max looked upon it with fondness now. She didn’t stay long, it was a small town and lurkers were not appreciated, besides she caught sight of the new family living in the walls that had once contained her world and felt strangely sad.

Eventually, Max made her way to the only place in Arcadia Bay that was of any real interest to her – the lighthouse she used to spend time by with Chloe. They had loved coming here as children because the coastline and ocean went on as far as the eye could see, Max and Chloe used to love pretending that one day they would set sail and go live their lives as one big adventure. Sitting down now, staring out at the coast, Max could feel that version of herself, and in a way, she realised that dream was becoming a reality.

“I thought I might find you here,” Max jumped, startled by Chloe’s sudden presence.

“Hey, how’s your mum?” Max asked.

“She’s alright I guess, thanks for ditching me by the way, you condemned me to an hour of heart to heart bonding with my mum. It was awful, she told me she was sorry for bringing David into our lives so soon after we lost dad, she told me she loves me, heck she even told me she is proud of me. Our broken relationship is in serious danger of being a thing of the past!”

“I’m sorry Chloe, I know you detest affection, I understand how that must have been hard for you. I’ll do my best to sabotage any future reunions, does your uncle hate you? Maybe we can make that worse.” Max teased.

“Whatever, dork,” Chloe said, playfully pushing Max.

“Yeah but I’m your dork.” Max had only meant this as a light and friendly reference, but it filled Chloe with warmth nonetheless.

“Good,” Chloe said as she scooted closer to Max, eliminating any distance, so that she could place her hands on Max’s cheeks and pull her in for a kiss. “I like doing that.” Chloe said with a grin.

“I like you doing that too.” Max replied, her voice now a low whisper. “Especially here, in Arcadia Bay, it feels like we’re in a bubble far from reality.”

“What happens when we have to go back to reality and the bubble pops?” Chloe asked.

“It’ll just be a little louder is all.”

“But you won’t feel differently, right? You’re not going to change your mind.”

“No Chloe, I’m not.” Max placed her hand over Chloe’s, but Chloe still didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“I’m going to hold you to that Max Caulfield.”

 

When they arrived back at the house, they found a moderately drunk Joyce, tearful over an old photo album.

“I thought you said she was fine,” said Max.

“She was when I left.” Chloe looked both horrified and concerned at the state her mother was in, Joyce was always the embodiment of a stable and sophisticated woman. “What you got there mum?” Chloe asked, joining her mother on the sofa.

 “Oh, hello girls, you’re back. Look it’s our old wedding album, do you want to see?” Joyce said, already pushing it towards Chloe’s face. Max fetched a glass of water for Joyce, and as she did, she found the culprit – an almost empty bottle of red.

“Here you go Joyce, why don’t you drink this.”

“Thank you Max, here have you seen this baby photo of Chloe, wasn’t she cute with her pudgy toes.”

“Okay that’s enough of that,” Chloe protested, taking the album away from Joyce.

“No no let me see. Joyce wants me to see Chloe!” Max tried to grab the album from Chloe, but Chloe used her height to her advantage.

“It’s ok Max, I’ve got more in the garage if you want to find one.” Max and Chloe returned their attention to Joyce.

“That sounds like a great idea for after you’ve had that glass of water, and an afternoon nap.” Joyce tried to protest but after Chloe gently pushed her body into a horizontal position, she seemed to struggle to lift her body, so decided to agree to their terms. A few moments later she appeared to have drifted off to a numb, dreamless alcohol sleep.

Max and Chloe cleaned up the wine spillages Joyce had created, once again reminding them both of the stain by their feet. A few minutes later, the only evidence of Joyce’s lapse in character was that which remained on her breath.

Max and Chloe reconvened in Chloe’s bedroom.

“Damn Max, that was hella freaky.” Chloe exclaimed.

“Did I actually just hear you say hella? This day gets weirder and weirder.”

“Don’t be jealous of my hella coolness Max.” Chloe teased, moving her hand down to Max’s waist, eliminating the distance between them, it was a feeling Max was beginning to love.

“No promises Price,” Max said, leaning into Chloe.


	15. Chapter 15

Max had hardly had time to consider thanksgiving and suddenly it was upon her. It was her first thanksgiving away from home, a small wave of guilt hit her as she recalled her phone call with her parents only a few days ago. They had assumed Max would come home for the holiday, as had Max until Chloe had asked her to come back to Arcadia Bay with her. Her parents had been surprised by Max’s last-minute cancellation but were of course understanding and had asked her to pass on their regards to Chloe and her family.

Max hadn’t expected much from Joyce and David over thanksgiving considering it was so close to the anniversary of William’s death, but David had assured them all at dinner that he would be preparing a feast for them all that would be worthy of royalty. Growing up, Max and Chloe’s families had often put together a joint thanksgiving celebration that they would spend together. So, even though it wasn’t their first thanksgiving together, spending the holiday with Chloe felt like it had more meaning or inference behind it now that their friendship was blossoming into something even more special. Max wasn’t entirely sure what that ‘something more special’ was, she didn’t want to freak Chloe out by coming off too strong too soon or put the pressure of a label on someone who had always been such a free spirit. What Max was sure of was that every second she was around Chloe, Max felt euphoric, and that there was no one else she would rather be around on this third Thursday of November.

Chloe’s natural body clock had appeared to have slipped back into old habits while they had been away, Max watched Chloe with adoration in her heart as Chloe dreamt well into the late morning. Max felt the gentle buzz of her phone by her side and picked it up to see a happy thanksgiving message from Victoria.

Victoria: _Happy thanksgiving Maxine! This year I’m thankful the university put you in the room opposite mine so get your butt back here ASAP xo_

Max: _Right back at you Victoria, see you in a couple of days_ _😊_

Victoria: _How has Chloe been? Xo_

Max: _She’s ok considering, I think this trip has helped her heal._

Victoria: _I don’t suppose you have anything to do with that, do you Max? xo_

Max: _Maybe…_ _😉_

Victoria: _MAXINE… SPILL!_

The next thing Max knew, Victoria was trying to video call her, she barely managed to decline it and explain that Chloe was asleep before Victoria tried to call again.

Victoria: _Alright then. Keep your secrets. But you’ve got some explaining to do when you get back!_

Max then returned to her knew favourite hobby – watching Chloe sleep. Chloe’s mouth was wide open, and Max was sure she could see drool, somehow it only made Chloe appear more attractive to Max.

David had already started preparing Thanksgiving dinner by then. Every few minutes a loud clanging rang from the kitchen, followed by a “Darn it” or “Son of a-” or “Holy shit” in a thick drawl that could only be David. Joyce had retreated upstairs to her bedroom, letting David handle the stress to himself. 

Eleven o’clock rolled around, and a particularly loud clang shook Chloe awake.

“Have you been watching me sleep all night?” 

“Just the last few hours.” Max shrugged. “You drool when you sleep, it’s cute.” Their bodies had been tucked closely all night, arms around each other in a warm embrace. Night time got cold in Oregon, amongst everything else Max was thankful for Chloe keeping her warm.

“Cute? I’m not cute.” She yawned, stretching her arms out. “I’m dangerous, baby. I’m a wolf.” She leant forward, playfully biting at Max.

“You’re a puppy.” Max giggled, kissing her nose. Chloe kissed her nose back, and then they were kissing again. She couldn’t breathe when they were like this, her heart simultaneously stopped and leapt out of her chest. When Chloe placed a hand on her cheek, Max melted. When her hands went to Max’s hips, she felt her insides on fire. When her hands ended up-

“Stupid piece of crap!”

The kiss broke, and both girls burst into laughter. When they stopped Chloe was smiling at her.

“Hey Max.”

“Hey Chloe.” 

“Sleep well?”

“Very.” They kissed again, then Chloe rolled out of bed.

“We should get up. The crashing and cursing aren’t going to stop any time soon.” She walked over to the mound of clean clothes in her suitcase, grabbing a t-shirt and pair of jeans. Her back to Max, she pulled the t-shirt she slept in over her head and threw it into the corner. She took her time shaking the new, clean one out. Max tried to look away, eyes on the window or her phone or the floor, and eventually she gave up and took in the sight of Chloe’s naked back, her long bare legs, the curve of her butt in the shorts she slept in.

Max had never felt more gay.

“Enjoying the view?” Chloe teased. She pulled her t-shirt down, and turned to face Max.

“Y-Yes. Good. It’s good I mean.” 

“Be good and you can see more later.” Chloe winked and flopped back down next to her. “We should go out for a while. Step-Douche is going to be in the kitchen all day and he’ll get a lot louder.” Max nodded along.

“Anywhere in particular?” 

“Want to see where my truck was born?” A door slammed downstairs, and Max heard David yell out.

“Your truck was born?”

“Come on.” Chloe grabbed a pair of jeans and underwear. “Get dressed. We’ll be back for dinner, if there’s one good thing about David it’s that he can cook well.” She left towards the bathroom for a shower, leaving Max alone in the room. She wanted to stay in bed all day. Preferably with Chloe. But Chloe wanted to show her something, today was her day.

She grabbed a hoodie off of the suitcase, one of Chloe’s. She tried to pull it on but got lost in the body of it. She eventually got it over her head and found herself staring at a picture pinned to the wall. Chloe had an arm around Rachel, Rachel had both arms around Chloe’s waist. Her lips were pressed against Chloe’s cheek. She looked at the picture, at Rachel, at the look in Chloe’s eyes.

The same look she’d been giving Max.

Max turned around and got dressed.

 

Max wasn’t sure what to expect when Chloe said she wanted to take her to the birthplace of her truck, but given the state of the truck, it made a lot of sense that Chloe had driven them to a junkyard. Time had rendered the landscape obsolete; it was overflowing in abandoned and forgotten memories that the sand had claimed. The scenery left Max unable to understand how Chloe had managed to find a working vehicle amongst the rusted and broken remains of cars they were surrounded by now. Max asked Chloe about this.

“Oh, my baby was just a hump of junk when I found it, but I saw her potential. I fixed it up with what I could find.” Chloe said like it was nothing, though Max could tell it was an accomplishment Chloe was proud of – and rightfully so.

“You rebuilt your truck from junkyard scraps,” Max exclaimed, impressed by Chloe’s success.

“Not bad for a high school dropout huh?” Chloe replied.

“Not bad at all,” Max agreed, though the high school drop out part was new information that Max wanted to come back to. “So, you think you could fix me up a car?”

“Hmm, ask me again in about six months, for now I like you being dependent on me to take you places.”

“You predict you’ll be bored of me in six months then?” Max joked.

“Please I was being generous.” Chloe returned, Max playfully slapped Chloe for her mocking. Chloe put her hands up in defence, before opening her car door and running away slow enough for Max to chase her.

Max and Chloe took it in turns chasing each other until they made their way to an old railway, where they stopped to catch their breath. Or at least Max was catching her breath, Chloe didn’t seem remotely winded, Max mentally added athleticism to Chloe’s list of talents. Max and Chloe walked side by side then, holding hands across the train track, and enjoying the juxtaposition of a clear day with strong sunlight and cool air that woke their lungs.

“Does the train still come through here,” Max asked, nervous about walking along the tracks.

“Yep.” Chloe said, purposefully doing little to put an anxious Max at ease.

“Thanks Chloe.”

“Relax, I’ve walked these tracks hundreds of times and I only nearly got hit once.”

“Ok we’re leaving.” Max said, pushing Chloe to the side of the tracks, Chloe laughed at Max’s gullibility.

“I’m screwing with you Max. The track closed down a couple years back,” Max looked around then and noticed the overgrown bushes covering the tracks at certain points, realising Chloe was right. She frowned at Chloe nonetheless, before deciding to lay down across the tracks in protest of Chloe’s sarcasm – a decision she soon regretted upon realising how uncomfortable they were on her spine. When Chloe wedged herself next to Max, however, she decided she could handle any discomfort. Max pulled out her camera and took a selfie of herself and Chloe laying on the tracks. Chloe’s face was huddled into Max’s shoulder, a gesture which was apparently too sweet and had to be balanced out by her middle finger.

“This is my new favourite.” Max said.

“I still like this one the most,” Chloe said, pulling out the photo Max had taken from the coffee shop window which Chloe had later pocketed.

“Why this one?”

“You take your best shots when you don’t think anyone is watching.” Max accepted that this was probably true, she had always let her self-consciousness hold her back, but this fear didn’t exist when no one in the world cared what she was doing. No one, apparently except Chloe.

Max pulled Chloe up and they continued to walk the tracks hand in hand.

“So how did you end up as a barista?” Max asked.

“Well I’d been working at The Two Whales since I was sixteen, there’s always people wanting coffee and it’s about the only thing I’m qualified to do.”

“Please, Chloe! You could do anything you set your mind to.” Max rejected Chloe’s self-depreciative comment.

“Like what? I left high school with no diploma and no talents, I have blue hair and tattoos, not to mention a bad attitude. None of those are employable qualities.”

“No talents? You rebuilt a truck from junk, and your attitude isn’t nearly as bad as you like to think. Self-proclaimed queen of the assholes you are not.” Chloe looked down, finding it difficult to accept the compliments, Max realised she probably wasn’t used to hearing them.

“Whatever Maximus, come on let’s take this right back into the junkyard.”

Chloe led Max to what appeared to be her and Rachel’s hideout. Max followed Chloe into a small den that had walls covered in Chloe’s graffiti, with photos of her and Rachel scattered throughout. Max saw what remained of old friendship bracelets and beer bottles, the place even smelled of good times that the two of them had shared. It dawned on Max then that Chloe was taking Max through a typical day in the life of Rachel and Chloe. Chloe had said she had walked those tracks hundreds of times, and Max was sure it was because she’d parked exactly where they parked today, and taken the same route the had taken and ended up at their final destination, and she had done it all with Rachel.

“What’s wrong Max?” Chloe asked, concerned by Max’s sudden mood change.

“Chloe, was Rachel more than a friend to you?” Max asked, her voice small, certain she was trying to intrude on information Chloe wanted to keep to herself.

“Why are you asking me that?” Chloe sounded guarded, but Max decided to keep pushing anyway.

“Because you’ve taken me here to a place that is practically a shrine to the two of you.”

“She was the most important person in my life for a long time, of course we took pictures together,” Chloe defended.

“Important as a friend or important as more?”

“Why do you need to know?” Chloe’s voice had risen now, but so had Max’s fire.

“Because I feel like second best, you put Rachel on a pedestal the way you talk about her. I feel like you settled with me because she’s unattainable.” Chloe was silent for a second, her expression giving Max no indication as to what she was thinking.

“Fuck Max, fine. We were together for a while. It was intense and steamy, and it was wrong. We both realised that and decided we were better as friends. Is that what you wanted to hear? All I was trying to do today was show you another part of my life, to bring you into it like you did when you took me to Seattle.” Chloe sighed. “If you think I put Rachel on a pedestal, imagine how I sound when I talk about you.” Chloe walked away, leaving Max alone in her and Rachel’s sanctuary.

Chloe was right. Max was reliant on her to drive her places, so when Chloe stormed off leaving her behind, Max was left with a 90-minute walk back to Chloe’s house. Max had hoped that Chloe hadn’t really left her there, that she was just waiting in her truck at the other end of the junkyard, and it hurt to see that this wasn’t the case.

When Max did finally make it back to the house, she wasn’t sure if she should go in, she wanted to give Chloe enough time to cool off. She checked her phone and saw it was almost the time David had said he would be serving. Taking a nervous breath, Max opened the door and was thrown into chaos, as David worked frantically to serve everything at the same time. Max offered her help, not wanting to be alone with Chloe until she knew how she felt. David was grateful for the offer, and left Max with a handful of tasks while Joyce set the table.

A few minutes later Chloe was called down from her room. Max still wasn’t sure how to act, and so nervous butterflies crowded her stomach in anticipation of Chloe’s perfected death glare. The butterflies quickly turned to those of love, as Chloe took her seat next to Max wearing Albert the albatross around her neck.

“Chloe what on earth is that?” Joyce asked.

“It’s my son,” Chloe told her, and offered no other explanation, but it made Max laugh.

Before they ate, Joyce had everyone announce what they were thankful for. Joyce started the table off by saying she was thankful to have her daughter back home, even if it was tragedy that brought her back. David’s speech was a little more superficial – he was thankful he had been able to pull off the meal they were about to eat. Then it was Max’s turn.

“I’m thankful to be back here in this home after all these years, I’m thankful that forces beyond my control brought Chloe and I back together and that she is in my life again.” Joyce commented on how lovely it was to have her back before everyone turned to Chloe.

“I’m thankful I got to spend the last two days snogging Max.”

Chloe – the melodramatic.

For a while Joyce and David were quiet, but eventually they both laughed assuming Chloe was pranking them. When neither Max or Chloe joined in their laughter stopped, and their faces once again turned to confusion. Max didn’t blame them, she wasn’t sure if they had known about Rachel, but even if they did, Chloe had sprung this out of nowhere. Once they had taken time to process Max’s words, they both seemed pleased and supportive of the pairing.

And with that they all turned their thanks to the food before them.


	16. Chapter 16

“Well that was… interesting.” Was all Max could think to say later when the celebrations were over, and they were alone again.

“Sorry if I made dinner awkward for you,” Chloe replied.

“You mean that wasn’t your goal, to make everyone feel awkward?”

“Them… maybe, but not you. Max I’m sorry I left you like that today, there’s no excuse I know.” Max said nothing, she felt she should apologise but was also still hurt by Chloe’s short fuse, so Chloe continued. “I know I didn’t handle things the right way earlier, and I said things I knew would hurt you.” Chloe began to pace around the room, and used her arms frantically trying to use them to say the words she struggled with.

“I didn’t mean to push you to talk about something you weren’t ready to share with me.” Max said.

“No, you were right to bring it up, it’s something we should talk about eventually and you should feel like you can ask me anything. I just, I’m not good with the emotional shit Max. I’m so used to just relying on myself and keeping my guard up, so expressing what I’m feeling doesn’t come naturally to me, I lash out and hurt the people I care about.”

“It’s ok Chloe, whatever this is we’re doing, it’s new to both of us.” Chloe moved to sit on the bed, more relaxed now, and Max joined her.

“You said you felt like you were second best to Rachel, and I need you to know that you’re not. The truth is, you were part of the reason things didn’t work out between us. I was always comparing Rachel to you, in a way trying to pretend she could be you, but she never was, and it wasn’t fair. Rachel also had her own reasons for wanting the two of us to remain just friends, but I know I hurt her by wanting her to be something she couldn’t.” Max didn’t know how to take this, it increased her guilt over her irrational jealousy of Rachel, and although she hated to admit it, she was secretly glad that she was the standard Chloe set Rachel to meet.

“I’m sorry I made today all about me when you were just trying to open up on a part of your life I wasn’t around for. I just felt so insecure.”

“It’s ok Max, I get it. And that’s why I made that announcement over dinner. I didn’t want you to feel like we were some dirty secret I didn’t want people knowing about. I never told my mum and Rachel and I, I hoped by telling her about us now I could prove that I’m all in with this.” Chloe looked Max in the eye as she said this, showing her sincerity.

“I’m all in too Chloe. And the albatross was a nice touch.” 

Chloe smiled, and pulled her into a hug. Her arms felt good around Max's body, safe and reassuring. When Chloe relaxed the hug they locked eyes again, and Max found herself lost in Chloe's. They were perfect, the colour of the sea, so deep she wanted to go for a swim. She turned her gaze to Chloe's lips, and without even thinking about it she was kissing her. Not kissing her like they had when she first admitted to Chloe how she felt, not even like the soft, gentle meeting of tongues from the morning. This was deeper. Affection was becoming desire. Chloe didn't hesitate to respond, the more experienced girl placing her hands on Max's hips, pulling their bodies gently together.

"Max…" she managed between kisses and scattered breaths, her face flushing. Max placed a hand on her cheek, the other on her neck, and felt her palms burning on Chloe's skin. The space between their bodies became too much, and Chloe pulled Max closer, dragging her onto Chloe's lap. When Max broke the kiss to curse under her breath, Chloe kissed her cheek. Then her ear. Then her neck.

"Fuck… Chloe…" The heat in her stomach that was becoming a common occurance had returned. Her body had taken over and left her brain behind, and Max heard herself gasping and sighing and whispering Chloe's name. When Chloe placed her hands on Max's butt, she felt her body buck up against her.

"I'm sorry-" Chloe gasped, breaking the string of kisses she was leaving along Max's throat. "I shouldn't have touched you there without-" Max shut her up with another kiss, taking Chloe by the wrists and putting her hands back where she wanted them.

"I want this-" she sighed "I want you." She kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her. "I want-"

They were interrupted when David opened Chloe’s door with a speed that startled them both, causing Max to leap off Chloe’s lap. He didn’t enter but did yell from the other side of the door. “This door stays open and you two keep it church friendly.” Chloe’s face was flushed from her hunger for Max, and her frustration at David.

“Screw you, Sergeant shithead,” she yelled back at the door. Max laughed, it was nervous from what she and Chloe had almost started, irritated by David’s interruption and uncertain about whether she was ready for the intimacy she had just been seeking from Chloe now the moment had passed. “He is such a cockblock, or vag block in our case? Are you okay?” Chloe asked.

“More than,” Max nodded.

“That was unplanned, huh? I just want you to know we won’t do anything you’re not ready for.” Chloe said. Max felt exposed and embarrassed in this unknown terrain, but she trusted Chloe completely.

“Thank you, Chloe.”

                                       

Max and Chloe had planned to drive back to the university the following morning, Chloe had a Saturday shift to get back for and Max had to prepare for hell week. Joyce was sad to see them go but reassured by Chloe’s promise to call when they made it back and come home for Christmas. She hugged them both as they stood by Chloe’s truck ready to leave, squeezing them in the way only a mother does. Chloe even offered David wave and a half smile once she was sat in the driver’s seat, David returned it with a similar level of uncertainty.

As much as Max loved being alone with Chloe, it was a long drive back. Unlike the drive down where the motorways had been clear through the night, Max and Chloe hit rush hour twice and were in traffic most of the way back. The journey took almost 17 hours, and it was some of the most uncomfortable hours of their lives. It was just coming up to 3 am on Saturday morning when Chloe finally dropped Max back at her dorms. They each gave a delirious and unromantic goodbye before Max headed inside and Chloe drove away.

It wasn’t quite the quick escape to bed Max had been hoping for though, looking into the communal area window she could see Taylor, Victoria and Dana among others drunk and dancing after what must have been a wild night. _Where are they even getting their fake IDs_ Max wondered. To Max’s dismay they spotted her trying to inconspicuously make her way past them to the staircase.

They all signalled for her to come over, well Taylor didn’t but Max didn’t care about that, and when she did they fussed over her like the toddlers their drunken state had transformed them to. Max wanted desperately to excuse herself to bed, but surrounded by such loud personalities she could hardly get a word in. Luckily, Victoria, a little more sober after drinking a pint of water, noticed her discomfort and excused them both.

“Thanks Victoria,” Max said once they were clear in the hallway.

“I got your back Jack,” Victoria replied, a little slurred. Max smiled at the state of her friend. “You got a lot to catch me up on.” Victoria continued, again struggling with her consonants.

“I do, but in the morning ok, we both need some sleep.” Victoria looked puzzled for a second, as if she was trying to decipher the words Max had spoken in plain English.

“OK. All these rooms look the same Max, which one should I sleep in?” Max didn’t know if she should laugh or sigh, but she walked Victoria to her room nonetheless and helped her to bed. “Goodnight Maxie.” Victoria said, asleep before her body was completely horizontal.

“Goodnight Vic.”

 

 

Max slept well into the late morning. She enjoyed having a bed to herself again but missed Chloe’s presence next to her, and Chloe’s arms around her keeping her safe and warm through the night. Max was awake from about 10am, but only begrudgingly got out of bed at midday at the painful requests of her stomach and her bladder.

Bladder relieved, but stomach still growling, Max headed downstairs praying she had something edible left in her cupboard.

“Finally, she has arisen! I’ve been waiting hours for you to come down Max.” Victoria exclaimed when Max entered the communal area. Max briefly wondered why Victoria wasn’t remotely hungover, before remembering Victoria was immune to all infirmities.

“That’s awfully considerate of you Victoria, you usually just barge in my room and wake me.”

“Something that has left me privy to your tendency to sleep naked.” Max blushed as she recalled the times when Victoria had in fact walked into her room while Max was sleeping naked, the duvet hardly covering her delicacies. Apparently, it took four times for the image to be burned into Victoria’s memory well enough not to repeat her actions.

“Thanks… I guess.” Max walked over to her cupboard, inspecting its contents. It looked like she was going to have to settle for some ready-in-30-seconds toaster waffles.

“Max, I seriously beg you to eat something with a vitamin.”

“Come on I get a pass; I haven’t been around to do a shop. Besides I had plenty of vegetables at Chloe’s.” Max said, walking over to Victoria, a waffle hanging from her mouth.

“Speaking of… tell me everything.” Victoria demanded.

“We spent time at her mum’s, we looked around town, visited our old haunts. We went and said hi to her dad. Thanksgiving dinner was great. It was a good week.” Max smiled, speaking through a mouthful of waffle. She looked in the fridge for a drink and was sad to find her orange juice had turned. Never one to waste, she took a swig anyway.

“Sounds fun. And the actual story?” Victoria had an eyebrow raised, a mug of jet black coffee at her lips. Max sighed, struggling to remember how much she had told her over the week.

“We might have...kissed. A little.” Victoria’s eyes lit up, for the first time in her life she almost spilt her coffee.

“Maxine!” She practically leapt up, pulling her closer and wrapping her arms around her. “I’m so happy for you! Who kissed who? Was she a good kisser? How did it happen?” She was practically shaking, arms around her. “God I’m so proud. My little Maxine, all grown up.” Max had to pry herself loose.

“It was mutual, and she was great. It was after we got back from visiting her dad, so I guess not a romantic anniversary, but it just felt right, you know?” Max felt her heart fluttering and her body heating up just thinking about it. She shuffled in her seat, suddenly realising how much she missed Chloe. 

“Mmhm,” Victoria agreed. “So, are you guys like official now?”

“Official?” Max repeated in a high tone. Victoria nodded. “I mean, I guess. We didn’t really say anything official but… It feels official.” Victoria hugged her again, Max had never seen her this affectionate. Not sober anyway. 

“I’m so happy for you Max. Rachel told me she thought something would happen while you two were gone.”

“Exactly how close are you and Rachel?” Max asked, her eyes narrowing.

“What? Not very, but we get paired up a lot in class.” Victoria flushed a little and changed the subject. “So, when are you seeing her next?”

“Probably this afternoon. I was just about to text her.” Max smiled. “I’m really happy.”

“You should be. Eat your waffles and call her cute ass.”

Back in her room, Max couldn’t stop her heart racing. She missed Chloe, she needed to see her again right now. She grabbed her phone to text Chloe, but as she saw the time, realising Chloe would be on shift, she decided to cut out the middleman and go see her instead.


	17. Chapter 17

The weekend ended and hell week started, and it left Max on the verge of a vitamin D deficiency. She didn’t go outside, she didn’t cook, she barely stopped to shower, finding time only to study and panic over her poor work ethic throughout the semester. Her room had become a slaughterhouse of trees and the home to chaos. Pages of notes flooded her desk and covered her floor, books lay open on top of them, laundry was piled up to the height of her sink along with takeout boxes, the sink was covered weeks’ worth of dried toothpaste, and Max somehow had more dirty plates and cups in her room than she had taken to university with her.

Chloe dropped by throughout the week to bring coffee and support, though she was hardly able to get a word out of Max, her pouting and puppy eyes doing little to change Max’s mood. As the days progressed Chloe could no longer handle Max’s declining hygiene and decided it would be best for their relationship if she took a step back until the exams were over.

The final Friday of the exam period rolled by, and with it Max’s exam. This came as a relief to those around Max as much as Max herself. Victoria slipped a note under Max’s door that morning. It read Good luck Max, I left some bleach and air freshener by your door for when you’re finished. I can smell the takeout you’ve been living off from my room. Max frowned and looked around, she agreed it was a mess but had acclimatised to the smell beyond the point of recognising it.

Max arrived at her exam 30 minutes early as she had done for all the others, just in case something happened along the way, her getting lost along the route she had memorised for example. This meant of course that she had waited through 30 excruciatingly slow minutes with nothing but the pounding of her heart and doubtful thoughts of her mind to keep her company. Today, however, Kate was sitting the same exam, and so Max had someone to be anxious with. They wished each other luck as they were called in, and they celebrated together 140 minutes later when they each walked out smiling.

Max made plans to meet Kate for lunch the following day, for now, however, she decided that for Victoria’s sake, she would bleach the contents of her room. Now that the envelope of exam anxiety was over and sense returned, once she arrived back at her room, Max better understood the need for bleach. “Shit, did something die in here?” Max exclaimed.

“At first I thought you had!” Victoria returned, exiting her room to meet Max in the hallway. “But I could hear you banging your head against the wall from the hallway.” Max blushed slightly, embarrassed by her recent behaviour. 

“OK, so I don’t handle exams very well.” Victoria rolled her eyes at Max.

“Come on, I’ll help you make this place liveable again.”

“You seriously don’t have to do that,” Max protested.

“I’m offering, come on loser let’s get started.”

They started by carrying Max’s dirty clothes to the campus laundrette down the road from their accommodation, it was enough to fill two machines and leave Max and Victoria sweating from the labour.  “That was more clothes than I came to university with Max!” Victoria complained.

“You’ve bought more clothes than this since you got here Victoria!”

“Touché.”

“Besides, I figured the more I came out here with, the less often I’d have to do laundry.” Victoria gave Max a ‘no shit’ look before leading the way back to Max’s room. They grabbed a bin bag for Max’s no longer needed notes and old takeout, and a box for her kitchenware. Max’s bedroom floor was just beginning to crack through the chaos when Max heard Victoria squeal in a pitch higher than Max thought her voice could go. 

“MAX THERE’S A RAT IN YOUR ROOM.” Max followed Victoria’s frantic pointing and noticed that there was indeed a rat in her room, closer inspection revealed that there were in fact a family of rats in Max’s room.

 

Victoria vowed to never again offer up her services when it came to cleaning Max’s room. She screamed for 10 minutes, showered for 30 and decided it would be infinitely longer before she would let Max forget this. Max sent Chloe a text telling her to stop by her dorm once her shift was over before continuing to sanitise her room as Victoria sanitised herself. Max gathered the family of rats into a small box that Max had kept from moving in day, deciding that they were cute and wondering if she could get away with keeping them as pets.

She was in the process of naming the rats when she heard her door open, without anybody knocking. Chloe walked in and exaggerated a sniff.

“Max what is that, is that bleach? And what is this?” She asked, pointing at the floor and once again exaggerating the motion.  “Is that what your floorboards look like?”

“Ok, it was bad I know! But come meet our new babies.”

“Our what now?” Chloe replied with a comically quizzical expression but joined Max on the bed and moved her head towards the box. As she did, Chloe’s eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning who had been gifted the puppy they’d been asking for. “Holy shit Max, you got rats? That’s so cool! What have you named them?” Max introduced Chloe to the new members of their family, Rita and Roddy and their small child nibbles.

“Rita and Roddy? Seriously Max?” Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Flushed away is a great movie, and Rita and Roddy feel honoured to be named after such rat heroes.”

“So, we’re keeping them?” Chloe asked, her eyes still wide.

“Well I don’t think I can keep them here, if nothing else because I don’t think Victoria could handle being neighbour to the rats. So, I was wondering if you would want to take them?” Chloe squeaked a little, unable to contain her excitement.

“Can I? Are you serious?” Chloe hugged Max, before turning her attention to the box of rats as she assured them they were going to be well looked after in that tone of voice that is usually reserved for new-born babies. “So, if nibbles is their baby, does that make us grandparents?” 

“I guess, suppose I should learn how to bake cookies.”

“I have to say, I didn’t think you’d be introducing me to our grandchild after only 3 weeks of dating, but there is no one else I would rather raise a family of rats with.” Max smiled, and lent into Chloe, who instinctively wrapped her arms around her and soothingly stroked her head. “Hey.” Chloe said.

“Hey.” Max replied.

“So how was your last exam?” Max shrugged.

“Could’ve been better, could’ve worse, I guess I don’t really care now it’s over. Sorry I’ve been kind of AWOL lately.” 

“You don’t need to apologise for wanting to do well Max, I can’t relate but I admire it. So how do you want to celebrate?”

“With food for sure, I’m starving. And maybe we can find a better house for the rats.”

“I like the way your mind works Caulfield,” Chloe said with a smirk.

 

They bumped into Victoria in the hallway, who once again freaked at the sight of the box of rats. 

“Please tell me you are taking them to be exterminated Max.” Victoria said, leaving Chloe with a look of genuine pain.

“Come on Vic, they are just rats, barely different to your pet hamster.” 

“My hamster doesn’t carry diseases Maxine.” Victoria replied, entering her room.

“You call her Vic? And I thought you hated being called Maxine.”

“Eh,” Max shrugged, following Chloe to her truck.

 

The rats safe in Chloe’s truck and, a few burgers and hours of shopping later, Max and Chloe had completed their mission in finding a suitable cage for the new additions to the family. Chloe had wanted to buy the biggest cage, most extravagant and spacious cage that the rats probably wouldn’t have shown appreciation for anyway, not to mention they couldn’t afford it even between them. After half an hour of pouting and puppy eyes Chloe finally relented, exclaiming an apology to Rita, Roddy and Nibbles that the ‘cool mum’ had been overruled. Max had agreed to the roasted peanuts Chloe had bought as a treat for their new pets and watched Chloe feed them now they were back at her truck.

“Time to get these babies settled in their new home, are you coming?” Chloe asked. Max still hadn’t seen Chloe’s apartment, now that her jealousy over Rachel had subsided for the most part, she could see no reason to put it off any longer.

Max nodded, “Let’s go.”

The exterior of the apartment block Chloe had driven them to looked run down and unwelcoming, with the interior offering little improvement. The floors were carpeted, and though each room was mismatched, they all looked as though they’d been taken from a century old serial killer’s house. The walls were moulding, and the ceiling was low, the bathroom was windowless, and the living spaces were drab and dreary. The apartment was close-packed, which was emphasised by the overflowing possessions placed anywhere they would fit since the apartment offered little storage space. Furniture was minimal and presumably second hand.

“This is Rachel’s room.” Chloe said, nodding towards the square, cramped space separated from the bathroom by a thin and cracked wall.

“So, where do you sleep?” Max asked, knowing this was the only bedroom in the apartment.

“The sofa is a pull out. It’s not ideal but it’s all we could afford.” Max’s well-lit, well-socketed, and high storage capacity dorm room suddenly felt like a luxury. Max was deluged in guilt over her initial complaints about her living situation after seeing Chloe’s. Chloe seemed to read this from Max’s expression. “I know it looks like kind of a shit hole, but you get used to it, and it's ours you know, it’s home.” Max wasn’t convinced, but she nodded anyway.

“So where is Rachel anyway?”

“She’s out on a date tonight, wouldn’t say who with but she’s been nervous about it all week.”

 

Together they moved and settled the rats into their new home. “What do I feed them? Albert gets by fine simply with oxygen, but I think these guys might need more than that.” Chloe said.

“I think you might be right, and I don’t think they live off cheese in the wild. Speaking of Albert, I think we need a new custody arrangement, it’s feeling very one-sided.” 

“You could always move in with us, plenty of room on my sofa bed.” Max was sure Chloe was joking, but the implication of such commitment filled her stomach with butterflies and left her with the impulse to push Chloe down onto the sofa, press their lips together and fill her with the same feeling. She acted on the impulse and Chloe was quick to respond to it. It was sensual and yet careful, ardent but reserved. Max wanted to feel every curve on Chloe’s body, but she wanted to do it slowly, she wanted to show her that it wasn’t out of lust but out of love. She felt Chloe do the same in return when her hands moved to Max’s hair and she pulled hard enough for Max to enjoy it but not so hard to make it seem like the motivation was anything but Chloe’s need to touch her.

When they pulled away it was enough to break the kiss, but they stayed in close enough that all they could see was the eyes of the other. They saw themselves as the other saw them in their gaze, and they felt what the other felt, and they both knew it didn’t need to be spoken. To speak would be to crack the intimacy. So instead the silence held as did their proximity, each of them familiarising themselves with the scent of the other and the aesthetic of their mirrored flush. A few moments passed and Max closed her eyes, prompting Chloe to take hold of her, and reposition them both horizontally on the sofa where they both drifted off into a serene sleep in the arms of the other.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say thank you to everyone who is reading, commenting on/leaving kudos on this fic. I really like hearing what you're all thinking and live for the approval of strangers.

Now that exams were over, Christmas was imminent, and despite it being Max’s favourite holiday she wished it wouldn’t come. Christmas meant going back to Seattle and going back to Seattle meant no Chloe. Max had hardly spoken to her parents since thanksgiving, her only contact was to provide them with the date of her return. This meant that she was of course yet to tell them about her relationship with Chloe. Max had never spoken to her parents about previous crushes or relationships (mostly because they were so short lived), it was something that she had always liked to keep private from their intrusive questions and critical eyes. In this case, however, Max knew that she would have tell her parents soon – Chloe wasn’t a temporary fling, and she didn’t want Chloe to feel like her dirty secret. Max would hopefully deliver the news with more delicacy than Chloe had with her own mother.

Most residents of Frederick Halls had already gone home for Christmas, many had taken duffel bags along to their final exams so that they could make a dash for the next train or plane home. Max had stayed as long as she could, so she had more time with Chloe, and Victoria was one of the only students who was staying on campus over the majority of the holiday. She only lived in San Francisco, and so would spend Christmas home with her family, but other than that, she wanted to stay at the university. Apparently, she was happy with the person she’d grown into over her first semester away from home, and wasn’t eager to reunite with her high school friends. Max had been glad to have her company over the last few days, and Victoria had been glad that Max too only planned on going home for a brief visit. Though her parents would want her to stay longer, Max had made plans to spend New Year’s Eve with Chloe and Victoria, the idea had certainly seemed more exciting than the habitual family poker night leading up to the countdown of the new year.

It was December 22nd, and Max’s final morning in LA before her journey home. Chloe was making good on her word to spend Christmas with Joyce, the campus coffee shop was closed over the holidays, and Rachel had already flown back to Arcadia Bay eager to go home after a long semester and reluctant to make such a long trip by car with Chloe. Max on the other hand was excited to spend thirteen hours alone on the road with Chloe, who was driving her as far as Oregon, where she would spend the night before catching an early flight the following morning.

Max knocked on Victoria’s door, inviting her to breakfast in the city before she left. Victoria had seemed distant on the bus ride to the city, offering little conversation from her part and only giving minimal responses to Max’s poor conversation starters. When they sat down in the café, coffees in hand, Max was finally concerned enough to confront Victoria on her mood.

“Earth to Victoria, what is up with you today?” Max asked, startling Victoria out of whatever deep thought she was in. Victoria shook her head and sighed.

“Sorry Max, I’m just a little distracted,” Victoria said.

“You’ve been distracted for days, what is going on?”

“Nothing, sorry, I’m just frustrated.” Max said nothing but raised her eyebrows signalling for Victoria to continue. “I just hate mind games, there’s someone who I thought I was finally on the same page with but then they just froze me out and ran away.” Victoria looked up at the ceiling, evidently uncomfortable with being vulnerable.

“Who is it Victoria, what happened?”

“It doesn’t matter now. I never chase people Max, and I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve, but I thought this person was special. Turns out they are just another disappointment and I wish I’d listened to my gut.” Max reached over the table, placing her hand reassuringly over Victoria’s.

“Maybe it’s not that simple. Maybe they aren’t very good at letting people in either.”

“Then they should have left me alone.” Max couldn’t argue on behalf of the stranger about that, so instead she just offered Victoria a sympathetic smile and agreed with her.

“Wait this isn’t about your acting professor is it?” Max asked, suddenly concerned for a whole new set of reasons, though Victoria appeared to find this thought amusing,

“No,” Victoria laughed. “That guy is about 75 and still pretentious as he was in his youth.”

“But you said-”

“I made that up to keep appearances Max. People always expected me to have a string of flings and I always played into it to help fit in. Truth is, I’ve never hooked up with somebody that I didn’t truly care about.” Max admired Victoria for that and was glad that she didn’t feel the need to pretend to be somebody else around her. Their food arrived then, improving both their moods.

“Enough about my miserable love life tell me about you and Chloe.” The sound of Chloe’s name brought a smile to Max’s face.

“We’re great, I Just wish we didn’t have to spend Christmas apart. I know it’s only for a week, but I’ll miss her.” Victoria smiled at the way Max’s face retreated into her t-shirt when she spoke about Chloe.

“You guys are so cute; I’d be jealous if I wasn’t so happy for you. And don’t worry, you’ll be busy catching up with friends and family, the time will go by quickly.”

“Thanks Victoria.” Max smiled.

“So, have the two of you acknowledged the L word yet.”

“I feel like we say and show it every day without using the words, but no, neither of us have said it yet.” Max admitted.

“So, what’s stopping you?”

“There are times when I nearly have, but the words never seem enough and then the moment passes.”

“Personally I’ve never understood the pressure behind saying I love you, I think it’s more important to show it so you both know for certain how the other feels, but don’t wait too long, it might be important to Chloe to hear you say it.”

“I won’t.” Max promised.

They both finished their breakfasts, sipped on their coffees and individually paid for their purchases. Then, once they were outside the café, Victoria pulled Max in for a tight farewell hug. “Text me when you make it to Seattle and try not to miss me too much,” were Victoria’s parting words.

Max had purposefully chosen a café close to Chloe’s apartment, so from there she made her way to her beau. Chloe was standing by her truck on the street trying to lift Max’s suitcase when Max turned the corner onto the street of the apartment block. Max snuck up behind Chloe, placing her hands over Chloe’s eyes.

“Guess who?” Max whispered.

“It can only be the demon who packed rocks in this suitcase,” Chloe replied. “Seriously this thing is as heavy as a cow and having lifted many a cow, I would know.”

“The case should be a piece of cake then,” Max replied, kissing Chloe briefly on the cheek before moving to help her lift the suitcase. Not long after, both cases aboard, the rats safe in the back, and Max and Chloe both having relieved their bladders, the girls hit the road.

 

 

Max and Chloe got stuck in the Christmas rush – the roads were slow, and they were irritable. Their moods hit their lowest peak when they became gridlocked on route 97, and Chloe’s bladder took a desperate turn. She became agitated in her seat, frantically bounding up and down as she impatiently pounded the palm of her hand on the steering wheel, futilely yelling at the frozen traffic.

“You’d probably need to pee less if you stomped bouncing in your seat.” Max quietly pointed out, not wanting to step into Chloe’s wrath, but also unable to hold her tongue.

“Actually Max, I’d probably need to pee a lot less if you hadn’t insisted we cover more distance before taking a bathroom break.” Chloe said sardonically at Max, looking pointedly at her as she began to bound up and down with more ferocity than before. Eventually her eyes became bloodshot in an effort to hold her bladder and the bouncing ceased. “Max, I think I peed a little.” Chloe whispered. Max sighed and handed Chloe a nearby empty pringles tube.

“Here, just pee in this and we’ll get rid of it and the next service stop,”

“I can’t pee in that,” Chloe argued.

“You would rather pee on your seat, we’re still a few hours out from Arcadia Bay.”

“No, I can’t pee in that in front of you,”

“Why not?” Max laughed “You peed in a bottle in front of me when we were kids.”

“Well we’re not kids now, and we’re not just friends. The first time I take my pants off in front of you is not going to be to piss in a tube while my truck is stuck on the motorway!” Chloe exclaimed. Max rolled her eyes and climbed into the back seat to give Chloe some privacy.

“Can you pee now?” Max asked.

“You’ll still hear me,” Chloe returned after a few seconds of dead air.

“So, turn the music up.” Max heard Chloe mutter something, but couldn’t make it out over the rising sound of grunge bands. Max turned her focus to the family of rats that were now only a few inches from her face.

“Your mummy sure is melodramatic,” she whispered to them as they continued to munch and play, oblivious to the world outside their cage.

 

It was almost 2am when Chloe finally pulled onto Joyce’s drive. They were both terribly tired, hungry, and in need of a shower and unable to decide in what order to rectify their discomforts, or if they could achieve all three at once. Unsurprisingly, the house was dark and quiet when they came in, David and Joyce having probably been asleep for hours. After turning on the kitchen light however the noticed left-over pie from the diner sat under a welcoming note from Joyce.

“My mum rocks,” Chloe stated, and Max agreed, her eyes drooling at the sight of the food left out for them.

Max and Chloe engulfed the pie, making mental notes to hug Joyce for it in the morning but for now settling for writing ‘thank you’ under Joyce’s scribbles. They then took separate showers as quietly as they could manage before reuniting under the warmth of Chloe’s duvet. The room was dimly lit by a nearby lamp in a way that beautifully emphasised Chloe’s features. Her eyes were closed and her face tranquil. Thinking back on her conversation that morning with Victoria, she decided to voice the words that had so far been left unspoken in the spot where they’d shared their first kiss.

“I love you Chloe.” Chloe opened her eyes smiling. She took a moment to respond, propping herself up on her elbow, more energised than she had been a moment ago.

“Oh, shit Max, you didn’t think we were exclusive did you? I was thinking we could keep this casual.” Chloe teased, playfully sticking her tongue out at Max.

“Not funny Chloe,” Max said, turning away.

“Hey, come back dork,” Chloe grabbed Max, pulling her back towards her. “I love you.” She said, her tone softer than before.

And then, now that they had both said it, they found they couldn’t stop.

 

Max and Chloe slept in till nearly midday the following morning, awoken only by Joyce playing Christmas songs downstairs. Max heard Chloe groan in protest to the noise, but Max was ready to make the most of her last few hours with Chloe before she had to be dropped at the airport. In that spirit, she stood out of bed, pulling the duvet off with her prompting Chloe to be out of bed by the time Max returned from the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Max and Chloe headed downstairs to find Joyce surrounded by tinsel and decorations, dancing to the music as David watched on from the sofa.

“Oh good, girls you’re up,” Joyce said, rushing over to squeeze them both in that motherly way. “You’re just in time to help with the tree.” Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying to protest, but she was outnumbered when Max and Chloe each grabbed an arm pulling her towards the tree. Joyce was much less stern about the placement of baubles than Max’s own mother had been; she was far more interested in it being a family fun event than taking time to care about what it looked like when they were done, and despite her protests Max could tell Chloe was having fun.

 

After a morning of decorating, watching Christmas movies and eating mince pies, Max wished she could spend Christmas at the Price household. The time of her plane’s departure, however, was fast approaching, and Chloe had driven her to the airport. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye, regardless of how short their separation would be, and neither seemed quite sure how to start. Max moved her hand to Chloe’s cheek, moving her head to face her own so that she could look into her sad blue eyes.

“I’ll see you soon then?” Max asked.

“I’ll see you soon then.” Chloe replied.


End file.
